


My Friends are Ghosts

by firecracker121



Series: Peter Sees Ghosts [1]
Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies), Spider-Man - All Media Types, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Abused Peter Parker, Abusive Ben Parker, Adopted Peter Parker, Adorable Morgan Stark (Marvel Cinematic Universe), Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Anxiety Attacks, Civil War Fix-It, Dead May Parker (Spider-Man), Gen, Howard Stark's Bad Parenting, Hurt Peter Parker, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Kid Morgan Stark (Marvel Cinematic Universe), Not Captain America: Civil War (Movie) Compliant, Not Spider-Man: Homecoming Compliant, Orphanage, Panic Attacks, Parent Pepper Potts, Parent Tony Stark, Peter Parker & Morgan Stark are Siblings (Marvel Cinematic Universe), Peter Parker Needs a Hug, Peter Parker Whump, Peter Parker has PTSD, Peter Parker is a Mess, Peter Sees Dead People, Precious Morgan Stark (Marvel Cinematic Universe), Precious Peter Parker, Protective May Parker (Spider-Man), Protective Tony Stark, Technically Dead May Parker, The Sixth Sense AU, Tony Stark Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony Stark Needs a Hug, technically
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-05
Updated: 2021-03-18
Packaged: 2021-03-19 08:47:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 23,607
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29747970
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/firecracker121/pseuds/firecracker121
Summary: Tony and Pepper are married and ready to have kids. Medical conditions make it difficult, so instead of trying to force a child in this world, they decide to adopt. Peter Parker is the last person on anyone’s list, but Pepper likes him. So, Tony is willing to let him into his life.Peter is weird and known as the bane of the orphanage. He’s been in trouble for fighting the other kids, yelling at the caretakers, and disrupting the peace. The group homes don’t know what his problem is or how to fix him. So, they like to ignore him. Everyone knows by now to just leave him alone. It’s better this way anyways.The couple that comes to visit doesn’t know what they’re in for.
Relationships: Ben Parker & May Parker (Spider-Man) & Peter Parker, Ben Parker/May Parker (Spider-Man), Michelle Jones & Peter Parker, Ned Leeds & Peter Parker, Pepper Potts/Tony Stark, Peter Parker & Avengers Team, Peter Parker & Flash Thompson, Peter Parker & Ghosts, Peter Parker & Morgan Stark (Marvel Cinematic Universe), Peter Parker & Tony Stark
Series: Peter Sees Ghosts [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2186427
Comments: 97
Kudos: 335





	1. Welcome Home

**Author's Note:**

> Hi everyone! This is my first time writing for this fandom, or really on AO3 at all! I really hope you enjoy, let me know what you think! Also, this chapter is a rewrite so please read it!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter meets his new Mom and Dad. However, he’s not as excited as they are.
> 
> Warning: mentions of short memories of abuse. If there are any other warnings that need to be added, let me know!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It’s fixed! This is the real chapter one. Unfortunately your comments on chapter 1 and 2 from before were deleted. :(  
> I really hope you like this! This fic is all planned out and it’s going to be amazing! Let me know what you think!

“Get your bag. They’ll be here soon.” Melissa stared at Peter, expectant. It seemed more like a dominance match than anything. “Now, Peter!” She snapped. Peter broke his stare from her and jumped off his bed. He grabbed what he owned: a small flying spider robot and its controller, his hand-built computer, a pair of black headphones with the ear muffs fraying, all his clothes, and his only pair of sneakers. Everything else had to stay and be given to some other kid. Everything except-

“Peter, don't forget!" Aunt May waved her translucent fingers through the plush moose that sat on his bed. She sighed with frustration. “I would grab it for you if I could.” She spun around and stuck her bottom lip out in a pout. “I wish I could haunt people and move objects. I would be so much more helpful.”

Peter chuckled, albeit regretful, and picked the plush moose up to stuff it in his backpack. It peeked its head out of the top, as if watching his back for him. “You’re plenty helpful still. I mean, you’re here.” He gestured around him. “That’s got to count for something,” he sighed and yanked his backpack straps on.

May seemed to hear the words he didn’t say and moved to float in front of him. “I know I’ve been leaving you alone a lot lately, but I’ll try to stay for the move, okay? Just…” Her fingers fazed through his brown curls, another frustrated huff escaping her. “Try to be positive and helpful.” 

Peter turned his head and waved her off. “I think I’m allowed to be upset. Now, if you plan to keep lecturing me, don't bother staying.” With that, he turned away and headed down the stairs. May followed, but not close. Peter didn’t mind. He’d been learning to live on his own for a while now; he didn’t need her company. Still…

Peter stopped mid-step and turned around on the stair. “I’m sorry,” he whispered, his head low. “I didn’t mean what I said.”

May clicked her tongue. “I know… Just keep moving, baby.”

* * *

Melissa’s office was a wreck. It was usually tidy enough to find things, like the top of her desk, but then kids weren’t getting adopted on a week’s notice. Melissa was mad at him for that, too.

“It’ll be great when you’re gone,” she had said the other day when she told him the news. “Then you won’t be able to cause any more problems here.”

Peter gritted his teeth and flattened his palm on a stack of documents, pushing it onto the floor. The folders scattered and sent the papers sliding. He smiled smugly, and went to the back room to wait.

Soon enough, he could see his new parents enter Melissa’s office. Melissa immediately saw the mess of papers and looked through the window into the back room. She set her middle finger against the bridge of her glasses and pushed them up her nose. Peter shrugged and sat on the couch. 

May muttered something under her breath. Something like, “nobody… my kid… only I get to.”

The couple sat in front of Melissa’s desk as Melissa apologized for her disorderly office. Peter turned away from the window and pulled his headphones out of his backpack. If he focused on his breathing, the headphones faded out the noise. It was still there, only small and muffled. 

A knock on his headphones set his eyes flying open, his ears stinging from the harsh noise it produced. “I did not like that little stunt back there with the papers,” Melissa spat. She crouched down in front of him and glared hotly. “You won’t be able to act like that for your new family. They’ll have rules for you to follow, and they might not be as nice as me if you don’t follow them. I’d work on straightening myself out right about now.”

“What? You scared I’ll come back?”

Her jaw clenched, lips pursed tight. “Peter, you’re a brat. It’s a miracle you’re getting adopted by anybody. Miracles are once in a lifetime. Don’t screw this up.” She jutted her finger into his chest, then stood. “Now get out there, put on a smile, and be a good brat.” She pressed her hand on his backpack and guided him forward with a little force. 

In her office, there stood Pepper Potts and Tony Stark. They were widely known as the Starks, but Pepper had made her preference known to news outlets that she wanted to keep her surname for business purposes. They looked nice, somewhat happy, even excited. Peter rolled his eyes and walked straight out of the office.

“Peter! Sorry, this is his attitude I was talking about. I hoped it’d be better for today, but it looks like it’s one of his bad days.”

The group home doors shut behind Peter. He breathed in the cold air of polluted New York. The sun was right above him, hidden behind dark clouds that cast his skin in shadow. And he liked it. It made him focus on his body instead of the images that liked to appear in his mind.

The doors creaked behind him. Heels met pavement. 

“Hi, Peter.” Pepper came around to face him and smiled pleasantly. “My name is Pepper. I don't mind if you call me that for as long as you need. My husband is Tony Stark; he’s New York’s very own Iron man!” She straightened and smiled wide as if hoping he would appreciate the way she talked to him like he was a little kid.

He frowned. “I already know that,” he answered. 

That didn’t seem to be quite what she was looking for. Her green eyes flicked to her husband’s, and Tony stepped closer to the boy. 

“Well, isn’t that cool? You’re getting adopted by Iron Man and the Starks,” Pepper exclaimed.

Peter looked away and pulled at his backpack strap. “Can we just go?”

“Uh, yeah. Let's get out of this wind.” Pepper waved her hand, and a car drove through the small lot, then stopped in front of them. A large man climbed out and opened the door for everyone.

“Thanks, Happy.” Tony slapped the guy on the shoulder and sat up in the front while Pepper and Peter sat in the back. Pepper stayed on her end, Peter on his. A whole seat between them.

He set his backpack on his lap and put on his seatbelt as the driver got back in. 

“Let’s head home, Happy.”

“You got it, boss.”

Lots of smiles and glances and shifting in seats. May was glaring at Peter, tapping her finger on her hip. Peter sighed and looked towards the woman on his left. 

“Where am I living?”

“That’s… a great question. We’re going to live in a house further in the city. It’s not too far from the Tower—Stark Tower—, but we thought it best to live in a family home than… a business building. At least for a little while,” Pepper explained.

Peter nodded and looked back out the window. A sudden jolt to his seatbelt sent pain blooming in his shoulder. 

“Shi-Shoot! That da-darn car cut me off!”

Peter closed his eyes as flashes played in his mind. The pain in his shoulder spread through his veins, hacking at his chest and stomach, cold as ice. His breath stuck in his lungs, and his throat closed.

Ben was there. Ben was yelling and coming closer. Too close! He raised his hand and-

“Peter!” The shout shook him out of his memory and his eyes locked onto May. “You’re okay,” she said. 

Peter shook the terror away and tried to act as if nothing had happened. He was fine! Ben wasn’t here, and nobody was hurting him right now. He was only stuck in a car.

After a period of deep breathing, the car squealed to a stop in a long driveway connected to a large house. Not really a house, per se, but that’s what Pepper had called it. 

The house was wide and tall, a white fence dividing the land away from neighbors with equally as large homes. The roof was red, like clay. The exterior walls were a sandstone hue. On the porch, white columns rose to the roof, setting off the desert colors. It was nothing like Peter had ever seen before, except maybe in magazines. He always lived in apartment buildings. Ben and May were never able to afford a house, even if they worked extra shifts. His first actual house was the group home, but it still paled in comparison to this. 

“What do you think?” Tony asked, tearing Peter from his staring. He realized that his car door was open, and Tony was standing there, patiently waiting for a response.

“It’s big for just three people,” he said.

Tony shrugged and rubbed the back of his neck. “Yeah, maybe it is a bit overboard if we’re trying to be discrete.”

Peter furrowed his brows and closed his car door behind him. “What do you mean?”

Pepper came to Tony’s side and intertwined her fingers with his. “We wanted to live in a normal house with you so that you could grow up in something you’re used to. And, we didn’t want the media intruding on our lives, so we’ve kept it secret so far.”

“The media won’t catch wind of you until you’re ready,” Tony finished the explanation. 

Peter scoffed and shook his head. “Okay, whatever.” He adjusted his backpack onto his shoulders and walked behind them, letting them lead the way. As they climbed the porch stairs, the man from before drove away, going who knows where.

The interior in the house was extravagant. Art pieces, statues, and decorative pottery lined the walls or stood on side tables to be displayed. There was a large living room with a red sectional, a black loveseat across from it. Beside them, a fireplace with another massive painting hung above it. Then, the kitchen. It didn’t look necessarily lived in, too pristine looking. But, it was stocked with food and kitchen tools, no speck of dust in sight.

Upstairs were four bedrooms. Two large guest rooms, a massive master bedroom, then his room, directly down the hall. Peter noted the ease of the route to his room. They could come unannounced easily on the extra soft carpeted hallway floors. Would he even hear their footsteps?

“There’s a bathroom right there, one in our bedroom, and two downstairs. And, we could show you the backyard if you want, though we haven't done much decorating there. But, there’s a lot of open space for you to play.”

Peter nodded. “Thanks for the tour,” he mumbled. 

They guided him back to his room.

“Kid, uh… why don’t you have a look around, and, you know… set up your room and unpack? Pep and I will wait for you downstairs. Just come when you’re ready. Yeah?” Peter nodded, and they left him alone.

His room was the only one that looked barren. There wasn’t even a painting in there. Maybe they wanted him to make it his own, or they just had no idea what he liked and decided to leave it bare for him to mess with.

There was a twin bed, a nightstand, a mirror on the wall, blue curtains, and a walk-in closet. His window gave him a satisfying view of the backyard. Maybe they’d be okay with him setting up a chair there to watch the scenery.

Peter hung his clothes on the provided hangers in the closet and took off his shoes to set them beneath the racks. Then, he put his gadgets on his nightstand. His most precious possessions that never ever left his bag stayed safely inside his pack. He shoved the bag under his bed, far in the corner, so it was difficult to reach. Hopefully, his new parents wouldn’t notice and think to look through it. Lastly, he set up Moose beside the white pillow on his bed.

“Looks great!” May chirped. Peter shoved away from his surprise and looked around with her. “I know it’s not much right now, but this is such a pretty place. I mean, they are billionaires, but whatever.” She pushed her gold-rimmed glasses up her nose and smiled at him. “Do you like it?”

Peter shrugged and curled up on top of the blue blanket on the bed. “I guess it’s okay.”

She sat on the bed and flitted her fingers over his curls. “Please stop moping. You’re killing everyone’s excitement by being rude, and no nephew of mine is allowed to be rude to just anybody.”

Peter closed his eyes and snatched Moose before holding him to his chest. “I never asked to be here,” he said. “I don’t care if they’re getting bummed out because I’m not as excited as you think I should be. I don’t have the energy to fake it, May.”

“Hmm… alright, well, at least participate where you can. Try, okay? I’m sure you’ll start feeling better about this eventually.”

“I will, but… can you maybe leave at least until tonight? So-so that I’m not weird and looking at you? Please?”

May nodded, though Peter couldn’t see, and her cold touch vanished. When Peter opened his eyes, he was truly alone. He felt safer like this. If no one was around him, they couldn’t remind him what happened or what could happen. He could exist in himself this way.

* * *

_ Participate. Just try. _ Peter inhaled deeply before peeking his head into the living room. Tony and Pepper were cuddling on the couch, watching tv on a screen that hadn’t been there before.

“Did that come from the wall?”

The couple jumped and looked behind them at the slowly approaching boy. Tony sat up with a grin. 

“Yeah, you like it? Keeps the place tidy when we can store things like this. Pretty cool, right?”

Peter pursed his lips into somewhat of a smile and nodded, his hands grabbing at each other and squeezing his fingers. “You-you said to come down.”

“Yup, that’s right. Why don't you sit with us?”

Peter swallowed and entered the seating area, choosing to sit on the very edge of the sectional. He could imagine May would’ve rolled her eyes at him for the distance. Oh well.

“Do you like your room? Did you set anything up?” Tony asked, leaning forward to rest his elbows on his knees.

Peter nodded. “I unpacked my bag.”

“Good job,” Pepper praised. “I bet it looks much better now than it did before. I know it looked pretty bare.”

Peter shrugged. “I didn’t bring a lot. Just some clothes and stuff.”

Tony nodded. “Ah, well… just means we’ll have to shop for some things you like. Do you have a favorite color?”

Peter looked to the side and wiped his hands on his pants. “Um… r-red.”

“Iron man red?”

Peter quickly shook his head, much to Tony’s dismay. “Like Spider-man.”

Pepper smiled. “You like Spider-man?” Peter nodded. “He’s a cool hero. It’s too bad he hasn’t been around in a while.” 

“Kid, listen. We wanted to talk about house rules and such, but you don't seem up for it. Do you want to talk about anything else? Like, like, what’s going through your mind right now?”

Pepper elbowed Tony in his side, earning a glare, but she kept her attention on the boy.

“Nothing. Nothing’s going through my mind. We can talk about rules. If-if you want.”

“Right, sure. Um… is there anything you want us to know about you before we begin?”

“Yeah, actually. I-I’m fourteen, so you don't need to treat me like a kid. I can do things on my own and understand things pretty easily. So, stop using kid words when you talk to me. I don’t like it.”

Tony raised his brows. “Okay, got it. We’ll stop that.”

“What… sorry, what ‘kid’ words?” Pepper asked.

Peter scowled. “Like ‘play’ in the backyard or tiptoeing around me all day. Or trying to make me happy. You adopted me, so just do what you want with me, and I’ll deal with it.” 

Pepper nodded and pursed her lips. “I’m sorry if I offended you earlier. I’ll try to speak to you more respectfully.”

Peter blinked and leaned back a bit. “Really?”

“Yes, Peter. It’s okay to ask us to do something differently if it’ll make you more comfortable.”

“Anything else we should know?”

“Yeah,” Peter said, his pupils narrowing with contempt. “Don’t expect me to ever like you or call you any other name than Tony and Pepper. You may have adopted me, but you can't make me like you or love you. So don’t even try, or you’re going to be disappointed.”

Pepper’s eyes widened as her mouth fell open. But, Tony seemed to get over his shock quickly. 

“Now, that was rude and disrespectful, even for me. And I'm pretty patient.” He stood up and took a step in Peter’s direction. “That sort of behavior is what will not be allowed.”

Peter tensed as he glared at the man approaching him. 

“If you ever-“

“Tony.”

Tony stopped and looked back at his wife, a simple shake of her head making him back down. He exhaled through his nose and sat down, his glare set on Peter. Apparently, Pepper controlled the beast.

Peter relaxed as a smug smirk graced his lips. He leaned back on the cushions in victory. 

“Moving on…” Pepper cleared her throat. She smoothed her skirt, and her voice turned professional and strict. “Curfew is 10 pm. That means getting ready for bed by ten, not coming home then. Homework comes before any activities, and you are not allowed to use Friday to cheat or do your homework for you. You’re allowed to get food when you’re hungry, and we’ll keep stock of snacks. Clean up after yourself, don’t leave a mess, and ask for permission before you go anywhere. These family meetings will be every Saturday and Wednesday evening. You're required to attend. If you’re confused about something, ask. If you don’t have anything more to add that is relevant and helpful to the meeting, I’ll start making dinner. Do you have anything to add?”

“Nope,” Peter replied, popping the ‘p.’ 

Pepper huffed and stood. “Then you’re free to do what you want for the evening.” Her heels clacked against the hardwood floor as she entered the kitchen, her view obscured from the living room.

Peter walked past Tony, only to have his arm snatched by the man. Peter sucked in a breath and turned around.

“You can be disrespectful to me, but not to my wife. She’s the reason you’re here in the first place. I was fine with anyone else as long as they didn’t come with diapers. Get rid of the attitude and don’t make this any harder on her. Or you’re going to regret it.”

Peter clenched his jaw and glared, his fingers trembling behind him. “You can’t make me listen to you,” he said. “Pepper will stop you.”

“Over time, Pepper will agree.”

Peter’s eyes widened, and he pulled out of Tony’s hold. He turned for the stairs and dashed up them, his heart hammering in his chest.

His door shut behind him, and he released the breath he had been holding, his body slumping over. He wrinkled his shirt in his hand and blinked heavily.

“Go away,” he whispered. “Go away,” he squeaked. 

The images flashed. Pain trailed over his skin. Ben was there, May too. She called out, but Ben said it needed to be done. Peter had to learn to be better. The hospital room and the blood. The knife in his stomach.

“Are you okay?”

Peter shrieked then clamped a hand over his mouth, his wide eyes sizing the small ghost up. He listened, his breath slow and soft until he was sure no one was coming.

“Don’t scare me like that! Who even are you?”

The little girl tilted her head to the side, Her brown hair falling over her thin shoulders. She had brown eyes that looked so curious yet intelligent. A perfectly white dress covered her small form, her feet visible. Few ghosts had the strength to produce their entire image.

“Are you haunting this house?”

She giggled. “Haunting? Of course not! What do you think I am?”

Peter furrowed his brows. “Um… a ghost?”

“No, silly. I’m a spirit. I haven’t lived yet.”

Peter raised a brow. “I didn’t know I could see those too. Can other people see you?”

“Not if I don’t want them to. But, you see me no matter what.”

Peter nodded and made his way to his bed, picking up Moose. “So then, what’s your name?”

Her head tilted again. “I don’t know my name today. I’m sure it’ll come to me.”

Peter chuckled. “Why are you here?”

“I like to visit my family! Mommy and Daddy are downstairs, you’re up here and in their house, so you’re my big brother. Right?”

His smile slipped, and he shrugged. “Not for long… they’ll stop wanting me eventually.”

The little girl walked over and sat beside Peter, her translucent hand sitting on Peter’s, though phasing through it somewhat. “I like you, and I want you. That means Mommy and Daddy have to like you.”

Peter nodded and looked away. “Well, that’s a lesson you’ll probably learn pretty quick. Kids don’t get to choose what their parents do.”

Ben never listened to Peter’s pleas. 

“Morgan!” She snapped. Peter raised a brow and leaned away from her. 

“What?”

“My name.” She grinned. “It’s Morgan!”

Peter laughed. “I’m Peter. Nice to meet you, temporary sister.”


	2. It’s Only the Second Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter is still adamant on not listening to Tony and Pepper, but he wants to go to the park. Pepper takes her chance and gets him to eat. Happy and Peter talk.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is chapter 2! Like I promised, it was posted on Saturday :)
> 
> The next chapter will probably come next Saturday, as that’s my schedule. But i might post it sooner if I finish it and Chapter 4 :).
> 
> Please comment and tell me what you think. Even the smallest comment helps, it makes me much less anxious about my writing.
> 
> Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoy!
> 
> WARNING: none? Let me know if there’s one I should note.

Starks are heroes, people who change the world. Howard fulfilled at least half of that, but the ‘hero’ part, he hadn’t excelled in. Pepper knew. She knew what it meant to marry Tony. Tony had worked for years to change the legacy his name would leave. Everyone doubted him, thinking Afghanistan made him crazy. Pepper doubted. He showed everyone they were wrong about him.

Tony Stark isn’t the next Howard Stark. He is the first Tony Stark, the first in his line to make a difference in the world by saving the people in it. Pepper knew she had quite a name to live up to.

Their wedding day was beautiful. It was outside and Tony didn’t have his sunglasses on for once. They were surrounded by friends and family only. She adored it and placed it on her bedside able to wake up to every morning. The three years that followed were just as amazing. Ultron occurred, sure, which wasn’t that great, but they worked through it together. They were stronger, better, and perfect together. So, when the news came that it wasn’t likely for her to get pregnant, she knew they would be okay.

Peter Parker came to their attention, because Natasha had been volunteering at the local orphanages when she could. His name was gossip amongst the caretakers, everyone cursing his name. The brat, the problem child, the bane of the orphanage. A plague to all those around him. He was orphaned because his last living relative was arrested for child abuse. Pepper wished the police had found him sooner. Maybe he wouldn’t be so broken.

That’s all she could think of when considering the boy. No one was inherently evil. No child acted out and rebelled for no reason. It was a cry for help hidden under forced strength and aggression.

Peter became a project. Once she had mentioned him to Tony, he was already trying to find out all he knew about the boy. Hospital records, living records, family relations, and anything else he could come across. Hospital images were gruesome and made Pepper light-headed. He had been thirteen at the time, stumbling through the streets until someone called an ambulance. There was a blood trail. All evidence pointed to the uncle.

Pepper wanted to help Peter, but nothing could have prepared her for his shocking behavior. 

She had tried to get through to him that first night in her care. But even when she knocked and offered food, he wouldn’t speak to her. By morning, the tray was still there, untouched. When lunch came, Tony grabbed her arm and shook his head.

“Just let it go.”

Pepper frowned, her brows knitted. “He hasn’t eaten for a whole day now.”

Tony shrugged even though he was equally worried. “If he’s hungry, he’ll come down.”

“He doesn’t even know us, Tony. And he hates us.” She set the tray back on the table and sat at her seat beside him. She laid her arm down then rested her head on it. Tony’s fingers sunk into her messy bun and massaged.

“No one ever said it would be easy,” he whispered. “If you really want him to eat right now, we can make him. Eventually, we’ll need to tell him what to do.”

She sighed, her hot breath puffing into her face. “The classes said to let him come to us.”

“Yeah, well… that’s just a suggestion, one meant to be ignored. They don’t really know how to parent.”

Pepper lifted her head and looked at him, exasperated. Laying her head back down, she said, “Maybe we should bribe him.”

Tony snickered, shaking his head. “Pep, those classes also said that we can’t discipline our children and that any discipline can be considered as child abuse. They said that we should try not to say no, either. I remember, because I failed those tests.”

Pepper chuckled and peeked up at him. “I can’t believe the teacher humiliated you in front of everyone. ‘Bad parent! Don’t be like him!’ Where did they even come up with this stuff?”

Tony shrugged. “I don't know, but I’m willing to bet that it came from adults who didn’t get everything they asked for when they were kids. That’s the hard problem. Some parents are too strict, others let their kids get away with anything. I don’t want to be like that, Pep. I don't want to be like…”

She reached out her hand and touched his folded arms. “I know. And you aren’t. We’re going to do our best to help Peter.”

“I wish he liked Iron Man,” Tony pouted.

Pepper sat up and laughed. “I think he has something against you. It’s rather hilarious!”

He gasped. “Shut up! Don’t laugh at my pain!”

She bit her bottom lip with a grin. “I think it’s cute. Kinda. In a roundabout way. At least he was honest.”

“Yeah,  _ real _ honest. Especially yesterday. Can you believe what he said?” She shook her head and Tony continued speaking. “I talked to him after you left.”

“No! I told you-“

He raised his hands placatingly. “It was fine. I just told him to be respectful of you. That’s all.” 

Pepper shook her head and exhaled through her nose. “You probably scared him. You know that, right?”

He scoffed. “Scared him? How?”

“It’s all for show, Tony. His attitude, his acting out. It’s to-“

“Test us and get us to snap. Pep, he’s trying to see how much control he has over us. If you let him push and push, you won’t be able to take that control back.”

Pepper pursed her lips. “I don’t think so. We’re just feeling each other out. But, we can have differing opinions. I want him to try to push, though. That’s the only way he’ll learn what we want from him.”

“Okay, I guess you’re right,” Tony shrugged it off. “So, how about we get the kid down here to talk? Get something new out of him that maybe isn’t so rude.”

Pepper rolled her eyes. “Fine, go ahead.”

“Friday, be a dear and tell Peter to come down here.”

“Yes, sir,” the AI replied.

It used to be so unnerving how the AI was always listening and watching. Pepper wondered if Peter got startled by it. Hopefully not.

Ten minutes later, Peter finally started coming down the stairs. He appeared pale in the living room light. His brown, curly hair was mused flat on one side for laying on it for too long. On his arm were a pair of sneakers and a jacket.

“Hi,” he said. He sat in the seat across the table and started pulling on his shoes. “You wanted me?”

“Yeah, wanted to see if you were hungry for lunch?” Pepper tapped the edge of the plate meant for him, meeting his scowl with a hopeful smile.

“Oh,” he said. “I’m not hungry.”

“I know you may feel that way, but I think you should at least eat half of it.”

“I don’t want it,” he replied, his pupils narrowing. He stopped pulling on his shoes to stare back at her.

Pepper pursed her lips. “Why do you have your jacket and shoes? Planning on going somewhere?”

“To the park, yeah.”

Pepper hummed. “Oh, well, did you plan on asking before you left? Do you remember the rules I told you yesterday?”

Finally, Peter looked to the side. “Yes,” he mumbled. “Can I go to the park?”

Pepper smiled. “Not until you eat half of your lunch.”

A fire lit in his dark gaze before he huffed and pulled the plate to his side of the table. He stabbed the salad with his fork and shoved it into his mouth. Tony gently kicked her under the table, a nod sent in her direction.

_ Finally. Bribes work.  _

“How’d you sleep, kiddo?” Tony asked.

“Fine. The house is practically silent compared to, well, anywhere else in the world,” he muttered, as if the lack of noise made him hate the house even more.

“I guess it is pretty quiet. Do you want a noisemaker? You know, those white noise machines?”

Peter glanced at him then stared back at his plate. “No.”

Tony leaned back in his chair, rubbed at his eyes, and replied sarcastically. “Okay. Good talk. Really appreciate the feedback.”

“Peter, did you know that Friday can make noise? You could ask her to play city sounds if that’d help,” Pepper suggested.

Peter seemed to perk in interest. “How?”

Pepper smiled. “Friday, play New York City sounds only in the kitchen.” After a second, tires rolled over crumbling asphalt, honks blaring in the distance, and people talked as if they were walking past the speakers.

Pepper watched as Peter listened, and his mouth turned up in a smile. When he noticed she was looking, he turned away and pursed his lips to hide it.

“Do you like it? Is that better?” 

Peter nodded slightly and continued to eat. 

“I’m glad. You’re always welcome to use Friday, just not for your homework. She can help with pretty much anything. You could have her call us if you ever needed to. Tony, what else can she do?”

Tony sat up and clasped his hands together on the table. “She can also place the house on lockdown. Which you should use if there are ever reporters outside. Leave them to me.”

Peter nodded. “Can she lock down any room? Like, what if a bad guy came in?”

“Yup. You can hide in your room and tell her to lock it down. It’ll only ever be lifted either by you or one of us.”

Peter frowned. “Oh.”

“What? What’s wrong?” Pepper asked.

Peter shook his head. “Nothing. But, I ate half my plate. Can I go now?”

Pepper and Tony shared a look. Then, Tony said, “As much as I like to see you walking around, we have a lot of work to do today.”

Peter scoffed. “Why didn’t you say that before? You made me eat!”

Pepper knit her brows together in guilt. “Well, we can try later, Peter. Just not right now.”

His jaw clenched, and he stood from his seat. “What do you need me to be here for? Can’t I just go alone? That’s what I was planning anyway.”

Pepper sighed. “You’re right, we don’t particularly need you for anything, but you can’t go out alone.”

“Why?”

“Doesn’t work like that anymore, kid. If people find out who you are to us, it could be bad.” Tony said, glancing at Pepper. “What about Happy? He could take him.”

Peter dropped into his chair and huffed. “I should’ve known you were lying.”

Pepper raised a brow. “Lying about what?”

“What you said yesterday! I told you to stop treating me like a kid! I don’t need a babysitter. I’m fourteen! I’ve gone through more than any fourteen-year-old kid should!”

Tony scoffed. “You can’t blame us, especially after how you acted yesterday.”

Peter shot a glare in Tony’s direction. But before he could say anything more, Pepper stood.

“Happy will take you to the park,” she stated sternly. “You are to stay by him, not leave his sight, and come home when he says it’s time. I know you think that means we’re treating you like a child, but we just want you to be safe.” She turned to Tony. “Go to your lab and get to work. I’ll call Happy.” Once her husband stood and left for the basement, Pepper sighed and sat back down, softening her tone. “Peter, I need you to be willing to listen. We’re not the enemy here. Tony and I just want to help you.”

Peter softened his glare and looked away. “You don’t even know what you’re talking about.” He pulled his jacket on and pushed his chair out from under the table. “I’m going to wait on the porch.”

Pepper watched him go, flinching as the front door slammed shut. “Friday, call Happy.”

* * *

The car from yesterday rolled up the driveway and stopped. The same man then climbed out and waved at Peter.

Peter stood and reached for the front passenger door.

“Ah-ah. Your dad sits there.”

_ “Tony  _ isn't coming.”

“That’s the rules, kid. No one gets the front seat but Tony or Pepper. Not you.” The man opened the back passenger door and stepped aside. Peter sighed and climbed in. When the man took his own seat in the front, he looked into the rearview mirror. “So, where to?”

“Empire State Building.”

“Try again.”

Peter frowned. “If you already knew, why’d you ask?”

The man shrugged. “Something tells me you want to be in control.”

As the vehicle backed out of the driveway, Peter asked, “Is your name really Happy?”

He chuckled. “No. That’s just Tony’s nickname for me. I’m Harold Hogan.”

Peter nodded. “I’m Peter. What do I call you?”

“Nice to properly meet you, kid. Call me whatever you like. Hogan, Happy, Harold. Whatever you want.”

“Did Tony tell you what happened yesterday?”

Harold nodded. “He wanted someone to vent to, I guess. You ticked him off. He doesn’t usually come to me to complain about stuff. Must mean he’s trying to hide it from Pepper.”

Peter nodded and looked out the window. “So you have to stay with me this whole time?” Harold nodded. Peter asked, “If we walked somewhere, would you have to tell them?”

Harold shrugged. “Depends. What are you thinking?”

Peter pulled out a few bucks from his jacket pocket and flashed it to the driver. “I have my own money. So, maybe we could stop by this sandwich shop I know?”

“I’ll drive you there. Where at?”

“Queens.”

* * *

Peter felt twenty times happier now that he had finally gotten a sandwich from Delmar’s. It was practically a family reunion there. Peter had gotten a hug from Delmar and even a free cookie for coming after months of no contact. Delmar knew what had happened. Everyone knew. Or they thought they did. Still, it was nice to see him again.

His stomach finally full, he returned to Harold and they drove off to the park. They decided on Central Park, choosing to walk through the groves of brightly colored trees. They didn’t talk much, just walked, and Peter tried to communicate with the ghosts nearby. He wished he didn’t need to hide his gift. Ghosts were fun to talk to, and they were kind. Most of the time, anyway.

After an hour, they sat on a park bench as Harold scrolled through his phone. Peter glanced at the man beside him, his mouth twisted in a thoughtful frown.

Peter decided he rather liked the driver/bodyguard. He didn’t seem to be misleading him in any way or keeping things from him. He was honest. Maybe he could be good to talk to. Peter got up his courage.

“Why did they come and get  _ me?” _ Peter asked.

Harold looked up, quirking a brow. “Because they wanted you.”

“They could’ve wanted anyone a lot more than me.”

Harold chuckled. “No, you misunderstand. You see, they heard about your test scores and how smart you are, and that convinced Tony. Pepper wanted you, because… well, I don't actually know. But she’s not one to make mistakes. Choosing you was very much on purpose.”

Peter nodded. “Do you think they’ll ever send me back?”

Harold put his phone away and turned towards Peter. “Kid, why aren’t you asking these questions to your parents?”

“They’re not my-“

“Right, right. I know, sorry. Why don’t you talk to them about this stuff? I don’t know everything.”

“I don't know… You just seem nice, I guess. And they…” Peter pulled his feet onto the bench and wrapped his arms around his knees. “Are you going to tell them what we talk about?”

“If I said yes, would you keep it all trapped inside?”

Peter huffed. “Just forget it then.”

“I won’t. If it’s that important to you, I won’t say anything.”

Peter looked at him and swallowed against the building lump in his throat. His eyes stung and he quickly avoided his gaze. “I’m scared,” he whispered.

Harold seemed to hear him. “Why?”

“Adults are-are scary,” he admitted. “You-you’re not.”

“Why not?”

He shrugged. “I guess because I don’t live with you. And because you are actually nice to talk to.”

Harold nodded. “I think it’s my face. People confide in me because I’m so charming.” He nudged Peter in the side, making him chuckle lightly. “Tony and Pepper are good people, you know. You don’t have to be scared.”

“I don’t care if you think they’re good. I care that I’m scared that-that they’re going to get mad and send me away, or-or… I hate talking about this,” he huffed. He buried his head in his arms and bit back the tears.

“Why’d you bring it up then?”

“May said to talk to you,” he sniffled.

Harold straightened. “May? Like… who’s May?”

Peter lifted his head with wide eyes. “N-no one! I-I mean, someone. From the orphanage. Uh, said to talk to someone a-about what I was thinking, I mean. She’s no one.”

Harold grunted. “Well, all I can think to say is… life is hard, kid. But it won’t get any easier until you talk to the people that matter. You need to talk to your—Tony and Pepper, and things can change. It can either go good or bad, but it’ll change. And if you do it now, then it won’t be such a shock for everyone involved later.”

Maybe he was right. Maybe he really did just need to talk to them. Maybe it would stop being so scary. 

Peter bit his lip and wiped a tear off his cheek. “I don’t think I can do it,” he croaked. “I’m not strong enough. I’m not brave.”

Out of the corner of his eye, Peter saw Harold looking at him, expression unclear. He shifted in his seat, and his large arm rested on Peter’s back. He patted him and breathed deeply. Peter waited for a response, the silence spanning until there was a ‘buzz’ from Harold’s breast pocket. With a final pat, Harold stood. 

“Let's get you home.” Peter met Harold’s gaze, finding hints of grief or regret. He wasn’t sure. He quickly bowed his head and pushed off from the bench.

In the car, Peter asked, “Are you mad?”

Harold shook his head, his eyes set on the road ahead. “No. I just wish things were different. I wish you weren’t scared and never had to be.”

Peter turned away and swallowed hard.

_ Me, too.  _


	3. Lemons and Vases

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter starts off the day with an awful nightmare. The rest of the day that comes isn’t much better. Pepper finally starts to earn Peter’s trust.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the longest chapter yet! I really hope you like it :) Enjoy the early update!
> 
> I forgot to mention in the chapters for. THANK YOU to @hurlinkandwit on AO3 for helping me edit and get everything looking nice!
> 
> WARNINGS: Bed wetting, panic attack, nightmares, mentions of abuse (I think that’s all.)

_ He was home. In Aunt May’s and Uncle Ben’s house. Pictures of May were hung on the wall, her smile clear and innocent. Peter felt small and young. He crept down the dark hall and walked into the cramped living room. Ben was there, watching TV, a few cans of beer on the couch side table.  _

_ “Ben?” He called. The older man jumped then looked back at the boy. His mouth twisted down into a deep frown. _

_ “Did I tell you to come outta your room?” _

_ Peter shook his head slowly. _

_ “Then what are you doing out?” _

_ “I-I don’t feel so good, Ben. My tummy hurts.” _

_ He was suddenly on his back, crushed beer cans beside his head. His face was wet. What had happened?  _

_ Peter sat up slowly, wincing as his stomach ached and throbbed. Ben was watching TV, completely ignoring the boy. He looked down at his lap and saw that it was wet. Ben was going to be mad.  _

Peter gasped awake and his eyes snapped open. He panted as he looked around, blinking away the dizziness making his vision swirl. He slowly sat up, feeling the disgustingly familiar warm sensation under his sheets. Peter shivered and pulled back his blankets to look down at the mess.

“Crap,” he whispered. “Crap, what am I going to do? What do I do?” He swallowed against his dry throat, a wave of nausea stilling him as he tried to stand. He grabbed onto his bedpost and stuck to it, just to be sure he wouldn’t fall. He breathed through the increasing dizziness and blinked his vision clear. 

“Okay, okay, okay,” he repeated to himself in a whisper. “Friday, lights.” 

With the room lit, his accident was more visible and even more embarrassing. He grit his teeth as tears threatened to rise and tore off his sheets and blankets from the bed. 

“Friday, where’s the laundry room?”

“The laundry room is in the basement. However, you do not have access.”

Peter whined. “Why?”

“Boss’ lab is down there and he has strictly forbidden me from letting you come near it.” 

He threw his head back in a groan. “Then what am I supposed to do with my sheets?”

“I would suggest putting them in your dirty clothes hamper. They will be taken care of eventually.”

Peter groaned. “Friday, I need to do them now. Can I please just go down there? I promise I won’t even go near the lab doors.”

“I’m sorry, Peter. I cannot allow you to go against Mr. Stark’s rules. You have not yet been authorized to change protocols.”

Peter swore under his breath and rubbed at his eyes. “Okay, well-“

“However,” Friday interrupted, “I can notify Tony and Pepper Stark about-“

“No!” Peter snapped, gasping from the noise. Back to a whisper, he said, “No one can know about it. I-I’ll just… isn’t there a way to hand wash it?”

“Pepper Stark has asked what’s going on. I have notified her, and she is coming to assist.”

Peter’s eyes snapped open wide. “Friday, no! Why-why didn’t you listen to me?” He quickly ran to his dirty clothes basket and gathered his clothes together around the soiled sheets. Just as Pepper knocked on the door, he held the clothes at his waist, hiding his predicament.

“Come in,” he whispered. 

Pepper swung the door open, revealing that she was dressed in an ironed, blue suit coat, white button-up shirt, and a blue pencil skirt. “Hi, sweetie. Friday said you had some laundry to be done.”

He nodded hesitantly. “Is-is that all she said?”

Pepper raised a brow. “Uh, yes. Is there something else you need?”

“No! No, I-I just wanted to get my laundry done. That’s all. I was trying to do it on my own, but Friday says I can't go to the basement.”

“Oh, that’s right. I completely spaced telling you that the other day. It’s because Tony’s lab is down there. It’s just safer to keep you away.”

“Oh, yeah,” he chuckled. “But-but, could I uh, come with you to do the laundry? I mean, teenage boys stink, and you really don’t have to do my laundry.”

Pepper smiled sweetly. “I really don't mind. You can hand them-“ As she reached for the bundle in his arms, he quickly picked up the half-empty clothes basket and shoved it her way.

“How-how about I carry this and you carry that?”

Pepper furrowed her brows but thankfully agreed. She led him into the living room downstairs, then through the basement door. The steps creaked underneath them, and the floor was much colder than the rest of the house.

“Here it is,” she directed him to the laundry room. Peter went ahead and dumped his clothes in, suddenly remembering his soiled clothes. “Uh… can I uh, put my current…”

Pepper nodded stiffly. “Sure, uh, why not?” She opened the dryer to take out a couple of towels. “You can cover yourself up with these. I’ll just wait in the hall.” 

Peter’s cheeks burned red in embarrassment as he stripped naked. This really couldn’t get any worse. And here he had been saying he wasn’t going to get comfortable with these people. What an idiot.

Wrapped up with two towels, he shut the lid of the washer and tried to start it.

“Oh, are you covered?” Pepper asked.

“Yeah.” She came back into the room and started the washer for him.

“It’s a mixed load, so I wanted to put it on a different setting,” she explained. “Is there a reason you’re up this early?”

Peter shrugged. “Just-just woke up, is all. And… wanted to clean… my clothes for some random reason,” he replied, his words growing quieter as he spoke. “Sorry if I woke you up.”

“No worries,” she waved him off, beginning to direct him up the stairs. “I have to go in early for some meetings, so I was already awake. But, it was nice to be able to see you before I left!” 

Peter nodded in agreement as the basement door locked and sealed behind them.

Pepper stared at him for a moment longer, seeming lost in thought.

“Uh, I’m gonna go shower,” Peter said, jutting his thumb towards the stairs.

“Right! I’ll be heading out.” She turned, about to leave, then faced him again. “Eat something today, please? And take care of yourself.”

Peter bowed his head and nodded once.

“Bye, Peter. I’ll see you at dinner,” she called. 

Peter trudged up the stairs, holding onto his towel tightly. “Stupid laundry room in the basement,” he muttered. “You’re an idiot, stupid Peter.”

After a warm shower, which helped his shivering and dizziness subside for a little while, all he was left with was his aching stomach and the nausea that accompanied it. He really wasn’t sure if it was nausea from being sick or if it was from him being too hungry.

As he fell onto his back at the end of his bed, May appeared.

“You had a nightmare,” she stated.

“Yeah,” he huffed. “I also wet the bed like a stupid toddler.”

May hummed and sat beside him, the bed not dipping or shifting at all. “That happens sometimes. You know that.” 

Peter stared up at his ceiling, remembering the times he had wet the bed before. He had wet his pants in his dream. It was one of the first times he had done that after Ben had… well, maybe that didn’t need to be remembered.

“It makes me feel weak.” His voice comes out in a shaking whisper, barely audible. “I feel so stupid and-and young. Why can’t… why can’t everything just get better so I don’t have to remember any of it?”

“You’ll always remember it, even when you get better. I remember when I got attacked in high school. It used to give me nightmares all the time. But I got better and still think about it sometimes. And maybe one day you’ll think about it and won’t feel so scared. Or maybe you always will. That doesn’t make you weak. You’re human, baby.”

Peter nodded, blinking past tears that had gathered. He sniffed and wiped at his eyes. “I’m going to go back to sleep.” He stood to grab an old hoodie from his dresser and used it as a tiny blanket. He laid his head on his pillow and watched as May came to kneel at his bedside. “Will you stay?”

She nodded and phased her long, thin fingers through his curls, a slight chill reaching into his scalp. “Good night, baby.”

* * *

“Good morning!” Tony sang, opening Peter’s door. He was surprised to see the boy curled up on his bed, blanketed by a sweatshirt, and wearing different clothes than he had gone to bed with. Maybe he had woken up with Pepper and went back to sleep? But, that didn’t explain his lack of bedding.

“Wake up, sleeping beauty. Breakfast is waiting to be eaten. Well, kind of. It’s cooking as we speak.” Still, nothing. Tony sighed and crossed the room, extending a hand out to the sleeping boy. However, before touching him, he suddenly realized the boy was shaking. No, shivering. 

“Pete?” He gently set his hand on Peter’s shoulder and shook.

Peter groaned and cracked open his eyes, his back to Tony. “Mmmph tired,” he mumbled. His voice was hoarse and words somewhat mispronounced. 

“You sick, Pete? D’you have a fever?” He set his hand on the boy’s forehead, startling when Peter suddenly snapped upright. He met Tony’s gaze with something of panic. “Sorry, kid. Didn’t mean to scare you. I thought you knew I was in here?”

Peter’s throat bobbed as he swallowed and he shook his head. “Didn’t-didn’t know.”

Tony frowned. “You sound like you’re sick. Rough night?” Once again, he reached his hand forward, Peter leaning back. 

Peter swatted Tony’s hand away and stood up to go past him. “I’m fine. Just a sore throat.” He cleared his throat and left Tony’s line of sight.

Tony sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.

_ Right, how could I forget? Peter is still set on hating me and making everything harder.  _

Tony followed the boy down the stairs and tried to keep up a chipper attitude. “Making muffins in the oven. It’s a box mix, so they should be good. D’you like muffins?”

As they entered the kitchen, Tony noticed the boy shrug and slump in his seat at the table.

“They’re okay.”

Tony nodded, somewhat pleased. “Great! It was easy, so we can have more time to do stuff today. Since Pepper’s working for the day, it’s just you and me.” That, unfortunately, didn’t seem to get any positive reaction from the teenager, for he just laid his head on his arm in response. So be it.

“I thought we could go out today. Get you some clothes, school supplies, and whatever else you need.”

“When do I start school?” Peter asked, his voice muffled.

“Monday. Thought it best to give us this first week with you. It’s pretty cool that you got into Midtown, especially since they’re halfway through the semester.” Tony walked over to the oven and checked on the muffins. A heaping waft of their sweetness filled the kitchen, lemon scent spreading quickly. Lemon was always a good smell. When he turned back around to grab some oven mitts, Peter was finally looking at Tony, his expression alert.

“What flavor are the muffins?”

Tony smirked. “Knew you’d like them. They’re lemon.” Then, dramatically like a British lady, he said, “They’re  _ to die for, really.” _ It didn’t earn a laugh.

_ Tough crowd. _

“I-I’m allergic to lemon.” 

Tony blanched, setting the muffins onto the stovetop. “What?” He whirled around. “But, I thought—your adoption forms didn’t say anything about lemon allergies. It just said peppermint!” Tony tilted his head. “Friday, isn’t that right?” 

“Yes, boss. Would you like me to complete an allergy assessment?”

“What’s that—“

“Yes.” He looked back down to Peter. “Hold still; she’s going to scan you.”

Peter’s eyes opened wide and his mouth fell open. Then, his expression changed into one of anger. “You don’t believe me?”

“Boss, there seems to be no reason why his file said he was allergic to anything. There is a lack of any data in his body showing it would hurt him.”

Tony frowned and glared at Peter. “No, I don’t. At least,  _ now _ I don’t. Don’t make this any harder and just eat the breakfast I made you.” With a finality, he set a plate of two muffins in front of Peter and put a bowl of butter next to him. “Eat,” he ordered.

“No, listen, I really can’t have this.”

Tony scoffed, blinking slowly once. “Kid! Didn’t you just hear Friday? She doesn’t make mistakes! Drop it, because I’m not going to let you out of this.”

Peter’s brows turned up. “Tony, please. I’m not lying; I’ll get sick!”

“Then tell yourself not to. I’m sick of letting you walk all over us, Peter. You’re eating or you’re going to be here for the rest of the day!”

Peter flinched at Tony’s volume and dropped his gaze to his muffins.

Tony took a bite out of his own muffins and hummed, nodding his head. “See? Didn’t kill me. I told you, it came from a box, so it’s not even really my own cooking.”

“That’s not it,” Peter muttered. “It  _ will _ make me sick.”

Tony closed his eyes and sighed, counting slowly in his head.

_ This kid…  _

He reached over, grabbed Peter’s fork, and cut up the two muffins into small bits. “Now, eat it.”

Still, no compliance.

Tony finished his plate, cleared off his dishes, and dumped them in the sink with a loud clatter. Then, he returned to his seat beside Peter. He rested his elbow on the table, his chin in his hand, and he waited. “We’ve got all day, Pete.”

Peter pursed his mouth in distaste and picked up a small bite of the lemon. It was right there, so close to entering his mouth, and then he dropped his fork back onto his plate.

“Tony, I can’t! I don’t know why Friday doesn’t notice an allergy, but it’s really real! My tongue swells and my throat turns scratchy and I’ll throw up! Please, can I just eat something else? I’ll eat whatever else it is, I promise!”

Maybe he was being honest after all. Still, Tony didn’t want to back down. Kids, especially Peter, pushed people around to get their way, making up whatever they could to be convincing. Tony wasn’t going to have it.

“Prove it.”

Peter blinked. “What?”

“Then, prove it. Eat a bite, wait five minutes, and we’ll see how it goes. We’re in the kitchen; you can puke in the sink if you need or get some water. So, it should be perfectly safe.”

“Sir, I do not suggest-“

“Quiet, Friday.”

Tony folded his arms over his chest, expectant. 

Peter’s eyes shifted over to the side, where no one was standing, and his expression turned pleading. His eyes fixed on Tony once again, a fire burning in his gaze. 

“I’m not eating it and you can’t make me. Or I’ll tell Pepper that you put my life in danger.”

Tony scoffed. “You think she’ll really be mad at me? I married her, kid. She’s on my side automatically more than yours.”

“I’m not eating.”

Tony scowled. “Fine, let's go upstairs then.”

At that, Peter suddenly straightened. “For-for what?”

“You’re going to go stay in your room for the rest of the day until you’re ready to listen. And I’m going to go work in my room so I can make sure you don’t sneak out.”

“I’ll eat anything else,” he tried.

“Don’t care. I’m not buying it, kid. Give up.”

Peter’s jaw clenched as he stood from his seat and marched over to the stairs. Once in his room, he slammed the door shut as Tony passed by.

“Brat,” Tony muttered.

* * *

“I tried, May!” Peter balled his hands into fists and kicked his sweatshirt across the room. “He wouldn’t listen to anything I said and then stupid  _ you-know-who _ had to butt in and scan me!”

“Well, why didn’t it show then? If it reacts to you so badly because of your powers, then why?”

Peter huffed and leaned against the wall, slumping to the floor. “I don’t know. My powers don’t usually show up on scanners for some reason.” He chuckled bitterly. “Parker luck.”

May smiled to herself and knelt down in front of him. “Remember when you had your yearly checkup last year and the doctor was so amazed that your vision and asthma were totally perfect?”

That earned her a small smile. “I was really hoping nobody would question it. I was so scared.”

“I think he wanted to test you in a lab,” she laughed.

Peter looked up as Morgan phased through the wall shyly. He waved and May motioned for her to sit down with them.

She pulled her dress up a little so she wouldn’t sit on it as she sat on her knees. “Were you really telling the truth?”

Peter sighed. “You saw that?”

She nodded and looked guilty. “I tried to hide from you so you wouldn’t know.”

“It’s okay if you know. But, yeah. It really will get me sick. Sicker than I am now, at least. I’ll throw up for hours if that’s what it takes for my body to expel it. It’s because of my spider bite. Spiders are kind of allergic to lemon. But even more so peppermint. I think if I had that, I’d likely die.”

“Why was Daddy so mad?”

“I don’t know. It’s probably my fault, though… that’s just how it works.”

Deciding to change the subject, Peter grabbed a notebook, a pair of scissors, and a stapler from one of his drawers. They were technically stolen from the group home, but they probably hadn’t even noticed. Hopefully.

“What are you making?” Morgan asked, scooting closer. She touched the stack of papers, just barely moving them.

“Tiny paper snowflakes. I have a cool idea.” So, he folded and folded each paper, cutting itty bitty designs and making each corner a separate snowflake. After awhile, they had quite a pile. Would have been more if Morgan and May had actually been able to help, but it was okay. 

Finally, Peter grabbed a robot from his desk. It was black with two googly eyes on the front. Some of its limbs had silver accents, mainly from metal springs uncovered from the black platings. Altogether, it looked like a giant, robotic, flying spider. 

“I built it all myself,” he told Morgan. “I found pieces in the trash or at school. My old middle school used to have a trash bin specifically for devices.”

Morgan’s eyes looked on in wonder and awe. “That’s so cool! What does it do?”

Peter grinned and grabbed the Xbox controller off his nightstand that connected to the robot. The propellers whirred and the robot lifted off. It took a little bit to get it centered just right. It held still in the air above the pile of paper snowflakes before its long legs started to grab at them like a claw in one of those games at the arcades. With a handful in its hold, the spider flew higher and dropped its load onto the floor. The snowflakes sailed through the air, scattering. Morgan jumped up and ran through a few of them, their trajectory changing to follow her movement.

“It’s like they’re on me!” She squealed. “Peter, look! It’s snowing on me!”

Peter laughed and dumped another load on her. She spun under the bot. The snowflakes swirled through the air, then landed gracefully on the floor.

“Again, again!”

Peter caught May’s eye, her smile so sweet and happy. He paused for a moment, remembering when she used to smile like that all the time. A warm feeling erupted in his chest, and he laughed with Morgan.

A couple of minutes later, Tony burst in, positively furious. Peter froze; the spider robot went limp and crashed to the carpet. Peter flinched as the whirring stopped after a few more seconds.

“What do you think you’re doing?”

Peter set his controller aside and looked up at the man. “I-I stayed in my room like you said. I listened to you.”

Tony closed his eyes for a moment and shook his head. “No, Peter. I meant, look at this mess!” He gestured to the room. “When you’re sent to your room, you’re supposed to sit there and be miserable. Or sleep. Not-not play arts and crafts. Where’d you get all this stuff anyways?”

Peter shrunk into himself. He looked at May and Morgan and shooed them away with a flick of his hand. They listened, disappearing. “I-I didn’t know.”

Tony huffed. “Haven’t you ever been disciplined before?”

Peter stiffened, his mind suddenly sending him far away.

_ “You need to be disciplined.”  _

_ “This is for your own good.” _

_ “You’ll never learn if you aren’t disciplined.” _

_ “If you don’t want to be disciplined, then quit making mistakes!” _

Peter snapped back to himself as a chill wracked his spine, his spider sense suddenly going off. He looked wildly around the room. Nothing was amiss; Tony wasn’t even near him. Actually, Tony was looking at him weirdly, like he was regretting something. Peter felt something tap his legs and looked down. His hands were trembling. When had he started shaking?

Time returned to his world a moment later, and Tony stepped further in the room. “Peter? Hey, you need to breathe.”

Peter furrowed his brows, sucking in a slight wheeze.

Oh, that’s what he meant.

And suddenly, it hit him. He couldn’t breathe, his spider sense was going crazy, and he couldn’t stop shaking and flinching. He was having a panic attack.

_ Run!  _ His instincts sunk in deep, his only clear thought. He scrambled to his feet as his hand touched his throat and then pushed past Tony.

“He-hey! Peter!”

May suddenly appeared on the bottom step of the stairs he was almost tripping down, her arms waving. “Peter, calm down. Ben’s not here!”

Peter shoved through her and scrambled into the living room.

_ Hide!  _

Where? Where? 

He let out a high-pitched whimper as Tony’s own steps cascaded down the stairs.

“Peter, stop!” 

Peter stumbled back against the living room couch, his vision tossing and turning like the sea. He slowly slumped to the ground and panted, just barely registering that Tony had knelt down in front of him.

“Breathe, Peter. Look, look.” 

Peter shrieked as his wrist was gripped and he ripped himself away from Tony.

“Alright, alright. I won’t touch. Just listen, Peter! Breathe!” He took exaggeratedly loud breaths, in and out. “Breathe!”

It felt like hours of sitting there before his ears stopped ringing and his vision stopped swaying. His spider sense calmed and he panted out heavy breaths of exhaustion.

Salty tears filled his eyes and he stared at Tony.

“You’re okay. It was just a panic attack. I get them, too.”

Peter grit his teeth and sniffed, brows twisting down. “I hate you,” he whispered.

Tony looked taken aback, flinching away from Peter. “Wha- I just helped you calm down!”

Peter pushed himself up. “You’re the one who made me have a panic attack!” He shouted. He breathed heavily as big tears slipped down his cheeks. “I hate you!” Then, he shoved him, knocking Tony back on his bottom.

“Hey! Young man!”

Peter yelled out in frustration and stomped towards the stairs.

“Peter, stop!” Tony stood and reached for the boy, but Peter’s overloaded senses quickly caught it. He stuck his hand out, his fingers turning sticky, and grabbed a vase that was on display beside the bottom of the staircase. He threw it to the ground behind him, scattering shattered bits across the hardwood floor.

Tony swore, but he stopped following him. “You go up to your room and be miserable! Don’t think about coming out until Pepper’s home!”

“That’s where I was going anyways!” Peter slammed the door as hard as he could, causing it to shake in the frame. He pulled at his hair and paced his room. “I hate you!” He screamed. “I hate being here!” His voice cracked and a sob broke out. Quieter, “I hate you. I-I hate this.” He hiccuped and dropped to the ground. “Why do I have to be here?” He whimpered as he pulled at his curled strands. He cried and cried until all he could do was lay on the floor and remember.

* * *

Pepper was about to blow up. She could feel it. Her nerves were ticking, counting down until the last one would soon be shot. She had been in a meeting, a critical one. Stark Industries was planning to come out with another line of products. The company hadn’t wanted to invest in it before because it wasn’t as important then. The board needed to approve or risk having Tony do what he wanted anyway and ignore his board of directors. What was the point if he never listened to them? Maybe she should just fire them.

Halfway through her meeting, her StarkPad, which was projecting her presentation, blew up with messages and alerts. She had to excuse herself to deal with the onslaught of messages.

Peter was allergic to lemon? Why’d Tony send him to his room? Oh, he didn’t believe him. Right, ‘cause this was Tony. 

PrettyPotts: Just let him eat something else. 

TangyTony: No. He’s in his room and I don’t want to talk to him anymore.

Pepper rolled her eyes.

PrettyPotts: Play nice! I still have a half-day to go!

And that was that.

It was an hour later, had to be, or maybe an hour and a half, but still! Once again, she had to excuse herself from meetings to answer the messages. They came one after the other, too quick for her to reply. Tony was fuming, absolutely furious. About a vase? No, Peter was misbehaving again. And he broke a vase. Oh. What did he do to cause Peter to act that way?

She sent her question.

TangyTony: I don’t even know! He had a panic attack when I came into his room and then he said he hated me after I helped him calm down. So, I’m just done. I’m quitting, Pep. I’m going to the lab and ignoring him for the rest of the day.

Pepper sighed and put her phone to her ear, waiting for him to answer the phone. He didn’t. 

After a couple more tries, Friday alerted her, speaking through her phone.

“Boss has prohibited any outside communication for the time being.” Then, before she could swear, Friday said, “Peter is in great distress.”

“Friday, what kind of distress?”

“He seems to be in emotional and physical distress. A body scan shows areas of pain in his abdomen, throat, and head. His heart rate is too high and his temperature is running warmer than normal.”

She let out her swear word of the day and sighed heavily.

That’s where she found herself, so enraged, worried, and annoyed. She was in the car with Happy, texting Tony like a madwoman, even though she knew he wouldn’t be getting them for a couple of hours. At least he’ll eventually know how mad she is. It was just a half-day!

After wishing Happy goodbye, she trudged up the front steps. She slipped her heels off in the entryway and looked around. 

“Dang,” she said, noticing the vase that was missing was a one-of-a-kind from Egypt. At least the kid knew what was the best to break. Maybe they could replace it with one they painted together.

Pepper entered the kitchen first, finding the glass shards in the trash. She dished up a bowl of applesauce, rice, a slice of toast, and a banana. After she had asked, Friday diagnosed him with a stomach bug. That explained the pain in the abdomen. Maybe it was somewhat of a cold, too.

She gathered everything onto a tray and made her way to her adopted son’s room. “Peter?” She knocked with her foot. After a moment, the door opened by Friday. Peter’s head turned towards her, his face red and puffy. He looked obviously exhausted.

“Hi, sweetie. I figured you were hungry and brought up some food. It’s safe for a stomach bug, so you should be able to keep it down.”

“How did you know?” Peter asked, his voice hoarse. He winced at the end of it.

“Friday said you had a fever. Can I feel?”

Peter sat up from the floor, where he had been lying like an exhausted starfish. He leaned his head towards her. She stepped over countless paper snowflakes and carefully set the tray of food beside him. She rested the back of her palm on his head and clicked her tongue.

“You’re really warm. You need to eat this time, Peter. You need to take medicine to take the fever down.”

Peter slouched and stared at the tray, but gave in. His usual fight was all but lost from his big brown eyes. They looked dull and sad.

Her chest squeezed. Such a cute kid shouldn’t look that sad.

Pepper sat down beside him and gestured to the snowflakes around them. “It’s beautiful,” she said. “The snowflakes are so small. You must be pretty talented with your hands.”

Peter shrugged. “I guess I wasn’t supposed to do anything but be miserable when Tony sent me to my room this morning.”

“Because of the lemon muffin, right?”

He nodded and gulped down a spoonful of applesauce. “He was really mad.”

Pepper sighed. “Yeah, he gets like that when he doesn’t understand. He wants to fix problems, not put any emotional work into them. It’s his past. But, that doesn’t excuse his behavior. I’ll talk to him.”

Peter side-eyed her. “Can you not tell him that I told you he was mean?”

She chuckled. “I already knew. He texted me all day. I know he was pretty dumb today.”

Peter smiled, small and barely noticeable. “I really am allergic to lemon.”

“I believe you. Maybe it’s not an allergy, but an intolerance. Maybe that’s why Friday didn’t notice it. I have an intolerance for adult sunscreen. I have to wear sensitive skin sunscreen meant for infants; otherwise I erupt with red dots everywhere.”

“That’s weird.”

She grinned. “Tell me about it.” She gently turned more serious. “I know about the vase, Peter.”

His head twisted to look at her. “I-I didn’t, I mean, I did, but-“

“I’m not mad. You were trying to get some alone time. I understand. I’m sad about the vase, but I forgive you.”

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay. To make up for it, we should paint a vase together sometime. How does that sound?”

He nodded and continued to eat. As he did so, Pepper filled the rest of the silence.

“I love art. All the art in the house is mine. I insisted that if we moved to a house, we had to have art around. Tony secretly likes it, even though he pretends to be too good for it.”

Pepper looked to her side and noticed Peter look up at her, noticing she had stopped speaking. She continued.

“I went to art school many years ago. I loved it. I learned the history of the world’s most famous pieces and so many techniques to practice in my own artwork. I’ve always wanted to open an art gallery with my own work in it, but haven’t created enough to even show yet. I’d love to teach you if you’d like. We can do little art projects now and then. I’m sure you’d be very good at it.” She met his gaze and gasped as she noticed the tears on his cheeks.

“Pepper, I…” He sniffed and pushed his tray away, then turned more fully towards her. “I don’t hate you. I like you and you’re nice. I want to be better and do what you want me to do, but it’s just hard. It’s been so long since… I’m sorry.”

She smiled and wiped a few tears from his cheeks. “Come here, sweet boy.” She opened her arms and he fell into her embrace. “I really like you, too. All I want is for you to try. That’ll be enough. You’re safe here, though. Okay? You’ll know that eventually.”

Maybe he didn’t think so now or wouldn’t think so for another few months. But, this was his home from now on. She and Tony would have to talk and get things working right. But, this initial trust was crucial. Maybe she was getting lucky with him after all.

Almost an hour later, she realized Peter had fallen asleep in her arms. She decided then that she really liked cuddling her adopted son.


	4. Shopping Trip

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter and Tony are stuck going shopping together. They are certain it's going to suck. Luckily, it turned out better than they had hoped!
> 
> Peter is seriously cute in this!  
> WARNING: mention of a panic attack, mention of triggers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 4th chapter down!! Aren't you proud of me? I said I'd do chapter three this week and instead posted 3 and four!
> 
> This is a lighter chapter compared to chapter 3 and what's coming.
> 
> I hope you love it! Tell me what you think!!

Tony was running on three hours of sleep, if that. Had he slept at all? After he had finished tinkering in the lab and came up for dinner, Pepper yelled at him. They took it down to his lab so they wouldn’t wake Peter. Hours later, when Tony came up after fixing and upgrading everything he could think of, Pepper was dead asleep and the clock shone three a.m. He laid down, turned his back to his wife, and couldn’t shut his mind off. 

He had made the kid cry and have a panic attack. But why? Why did he have a panic attack? Because Tony asked why he didn’t know what it meant to be grounded?

_“He might not have ever been grounded before, Tony,”_ Pepper’s voice repeated in his mind.

So what? Why did he get so scared then? He had looked like… like Tony had just told him he was going to kill him. It just didn’t make sense.

_“Sometimes you have panic attacks out of nowhere.”_

Stupid mind. Can’t shut up. He was trying to pout about being yelled at, not have his mind tell him that he was wrong and she was right. For crying out loud, whose side was his mind on?

That went on for at least three hours, maybe six. Perhaps he did eventually black out sometime in that period, but it didn’t matter. He was still mad about being yelled at, somewhat guilty, mad _because_ he felt guilty, and extremely exhausted. And Pepper just couldn’t stop there. No, she had to give him a proper punishment.

“You’re going to go out with Peter today, be happy and nice, help him pick stuff out, _not_ pressure him, and help him have a good time. If he misbehaves, tell him that if he continues, you two will sit in the car in silence until he’s ready to behave.”

Tony scoffed, shoving the sheets off him. “Yeah, like that’ll end well.”

“Why do you say that?”

“Because that’ll be treating him like a kid, which he said he hates.”

Pepper sighed, and Tony could tell she was getting dressed from the sound of her clothes shuffling. But he was adamant on not looking. He was still pouting.

“Tony, when he says that, he just doesn’t want to feel criticized. He doesn’t want to feel like he means nothing to us.”

“How do you even know that? The kid hasn’t even spoken that many words in all this time he’s been with us!”

“As far as you know,” she shot back. “You need to fix this before it gets worse because he’s ours and we won’t be giving him back. Any more questions or concerns?” She fluttered her lashes.

He huffed. “Why can’t we use Friday to buy all this stuff?”

“Because you two need to spend time together. And you’ll be able to figure out what he likes and bond with him. I’m sure that’ll make you like him more.”

_Yeah, whatever._

He couldn’t believe that Peter’s amazing test scores had made him think so highly of the kid. How foolish. Maybe he had forged them or hacked the school databases. No, that would mean he was smart enough to break past numerous technological barriers. That would mean he thought the kid was smart enough to do that. Maybe Peter just got lucky.

Breakfast was uneventful, other than Pepper’s encouraging stares and somewhat hidden gestures to the boy who was miraculously sitting at the table with them. He was even eating a bowl of cereal. 

Tony gave in to Pepper’s encouragement. “So, how’d you sleep, Pete?”

The kid’s brown eyes glanced at him for a quick second, somewhat of a scowl held on his face, then looked back at Pepper, quickly dropping it. “It was okay.”

Tony nodded, probably too much to be considered a normal response. “School’s starting in two days. I thought, since we couldn’t do it yesterday, we could go out today and shop for everything you need.” He put a bite of oatmeal in his mouth and glanced at Pepper to see her satisfied nod.

“Sounds like it’ll suck like yesterday, too.” 

“Tony loves to shop, though,” Pepper smiled. “And he knows his way around to get the coolest stuff. I’m sure it’ll turn out really fun.”

Peter frowned and looked at Pepper. “Can’t I go with you instead?”

_Can he, please?_

“I’m sorry, Peter. But I had to reschedule yesterday’s meetings for today. I’ll be going in...” She looked down at her watch. “An hour from now.”

Peter sighed. “Okay… I’ll go with _Tony,”_ he grumbled Tony’s name.

Tony pulled on a quick, cheery smile. “It’ll be real fun, kiddo.”

It was obvious to both of them how much they did not want to do this together. Peter slowly trudged down the stairs, and Tony quickly gave hurried instructions to get in the car. They worked together as a team in trying not to look at each other during the entire ride. 

At least the kid didn’t look embarrassing to be out in public with. Peter had on a large, black hoodie, and a pair of navy blue joggers. Tony wore one of his black, long-sleeved muscle shirts under a black and orange windbreaker, along with a pair of dark green camo pants. At least they had a similar color scheme. He’d make sure to get the kid some proper outerwear today.

The first place they stopped at, which was closest to the house, was a furniture store. Pepper had found their lovely living room furniture set there, so it was bound to have some nice pieces that’d catch the kid’s eye.

Tony pulled into a parking spot and clapped his hands together once. “So! D’you know what you want for your room?”

Peter glared at some spot outside like it had insulted him. Then, he huffed and shrugged. “It’s been awhile since I had my own room,” he muttered.

_“Right.”_ Tony nodded once. “Well, then I guess we should wander around until you find something nice. Sound good?”

The kid shrugged, again.

“Would be nice if you actually talked,” Tony muttered. He shut his car door behind him. “How insufferable is this going to be?”

They started in the bathroom section. Tony and Pepper had a bathroom in their bedroom while Peter had one down the hall. They could let him decorate it. Pepper would probably be proud of Tony for that decision. 

They looked at soap containers, special faucets, toilet seat lids, and shower curtains. The kid poked a few things, but never made any indication that he actually liked something.

“Hey, how about this?” Tony shuffled through the shower curtain selection and found a Spider-man themed one. It had Spider-man posing in his signature landing stance, wearing his onesie-looking costume. One hand and both feet on the ground, his other hand in the air and to the side of his form. Behind him was New York City. “You like Spider-man. What do you think?”

Peter’s mouth twitched to the side as he stepped closer to inspect the shower curtain. His fingertips trailed across Spider-man’s suit, stopped near his stomach, then he stepped back.

“I don’t want it.”

Tony blinked. “What?” He paused and watched the boy take another step back and shake his head. “You clearly like it. Why don’t you want it? Is it because of money? I’m not making you pay for anything, kid.”

“I just don’t want it.”

“Are you scared we won’t like it? We want you to pick stuff out. Pick something—I don’t know—pick this!” He pulled out a shower curtain showing a movie princess with long, near-white hair, and a blue dress. “If this is your thing, pick it! Or, this!” He showed one with a ripped, beefy boxer on it. “Just pick something!” He breathed deeply after his shout and blinked as the kid bowed his head and squeezed the hem of his hoodie in between his fingers. There was a slight tremble to his form. Tony realized the kid was probably crying. “Oh for the love of…” He wiped his hand down his face and groaned. “Okay, come on.” He set a hand on Peter’s shoulder and twisted him around, then pressed on his back as he led him towards the door.

“Hey, do you need help finding anything?” A worker asked, suddenly appearing out of nowhere.

“No—we’re leaving.” He pushed past her, ignoring how the kid looked up at him in his peripheral, his eyes wide.

When they were beside the car, Tony opened the back passenger door and stepped aside. 

“Get in.”

“But, I was sitting in the—”

“I don’t care. Just get in.”

Peter obeyed and slid into the back seat. Tony slammed the door shut, then climbed into the front seat and rested his head on the steering wheel.

“You can cry or sit in silence. Whatever you need. We’re just going to sit here until you feel ready to talk to me about why you won’t pick a darn thing. Then, we’ll go back inside and try again.”

He closed his eyes and tapped a rhythm on the leather of the wheel with one hand, nursing an ache in his neck with another.

Three minutes passed. Two more. Tony almost had to hold his breath so as not to let out another annoyed sigh.

_Is the kid even listening?_

He ran out of patience and looked up into the rearview mirror. 

Peter was curled up in the seat, his hood over his head, and his sleeved arms wrapped around his knees. His hands wiped at his cheeks after each tear fell, though it looked like they were slowing down. His face was red and he was biting his lip. Was he scared to make a sound?

Tony swallowed and bowed his head to let the kid have privacy once again. Something in his stomach twisted, because the kid _had_ listened. He was crying it out. About what, Tony still didn’t know. But Peter was crying and working, albeit very quietly, to get a hold of himself. Tony wondered how long he’d been holding these tears in.

Eventually, Tony cleared his throat. “I’m sorry. For-for how I yelled at you yesterday and didn’t believe you.” Peter sniffled. “And for causing you to have a panic attack. I have those, too, sometimes. Mostly when I encounter things that remind me about some… bad experiences.”

A quiet moment, then, “Something happened,” Peter croaked. “Something happened a long time ago… sometimes, when I see Spider-man’s suit, it-it reminds me.”

“Hmmm,” Tony hummed to show he was listening. His gaze was still set away from the boy.

“I don’t know what to choose. I’m just…” He rubbed his hoodie sleeve under his nose and sniffled. “My, uh… before the group home, I-I didn’t get to choose much then either. Whenever I did, I always got yelled at and we’d have to take it back.”

Tony furrowed his brows. “Well, I can assure you, we won’t be taking anything you choose away from you. This is solely for your pleasure so that you can enjoy your new home.” He met the brown eyes looking back at him in the rearview mirror and smiled softly. “And, if you want, I can give you some style suggestions, if that’d help.”

Peter still looked uncertain, but it made Tony feel glad when the kid agreed to try again. They got out of the car together and made their way back into the furniture store.

Peter coughed and pointed off to the side. “Could we, uh, go to the bedroom section first?”

“Sure, bud.”

They walked around the different displays for a while. Peter stood near and examined the ones with bunk beds, small seating areas, and the like. But, they kept moving on from one to the other. Tony decided to look through magazines of the store’s designs that weren’t currently displayed.

He grinned. “Pete, look at this!” He made his way over to the boy and flashed an image at him. “Cool, right?” The image had a blue sports car bed, an alarm clock that looked like a laps sign shown at competitions, and other racing memorabilia. “Did you know I once drove a race car?”

Peter looked up at him. “You did?”

Tony nodded. “I also crashed it, but it was because of a bad guy.”

“Are you _sure_ the bad guy isn’t just an excuse?”

Tony tilted his head to the side. “What do you mean?”

Peter swayed side to side. “I mean... I don’t know. Your driving today,” he sucked in a sharp breath and his face winced.

Tony laughed sarcastically. “Ha ha. Real funny.”

A small smile broke out on the kid’s face and he turned away to hide it. “I, uh, found something. I think. And-and just tell me if you don’t like it. I mean, I don’t _really_ need it.”

“Don’t worry, kiddo. Just show me.”

Peter nodded hesitantly and led Tony over to a display. In the area, there was a black frame for a twin-sized bunk bed, and a sturdy ladder built into one of the sides. However, while the top bunk was flush against the display case, the bottom bunk was perpendicular to the wall. The leftover side not taken up by the bed below the top bunk was a built-in, metal desk. 

“I-I was thinking we could put, like, a glass cover over the metal top of the desk, so it isn’t so cold to-to touch. And, uh, if I ever have sleepovers, a friend would have a place to stay. I mean, once I make friends. You-you know? Maybe?”

“Hmm. I get the appeal. Looks nice, kid. Let me write it down here,” Tony pulled out a notepad and scribbled the product number in between one of the many lines. “There! What else were you thinking?”

Peter looked at the floor and bit his lip. “I, um… I found a window seat.”

“Oh, really?” 

Peter nodded his head. “It’s by the front. I-I don’t have to get all the cushions and blankets, but maybe we could get the seat and put it under my window?”

“Sounds good! Show me where it is and I’ll write it down.”

Peter and Tony also picked out nature-themed bathroom sets, like a lush, green mountain landscape for a shower curtain, dark green and brown towel sets, soap containers painted as fruits like oranges and apples, and a few blue rugs to cover the floor. With the kid’s eye for design and natural color combinations, the two of them had a great look planned out for the bathroom. Pepper was going to love it!

As for the kid’s room, they also purchased two soft twin mattresses that wouldn’t shove at the muscles much and would instead let the body sink. Peter said he wanted them because he had been wanting to “get into sports,” even though he didn’t look like a sports kinda kid. But, he wanted it, so Tony got it. They also bought some Spider-man posters, Avengers posters, and picture frames with painted images of gorgeous landscapes.

“It’ll make my room fit the house,” Peter said proudly.

The shock that paled the kid’s face when Tony told him the store would do all of the delivering and setting up of the furniture was laughable. But, cute. He would never do it any other way. He was Tony Stark for crying out loud. If this amazed the kid, Tony couldn’t wait to show him his lab. It’d probably knock the kid on his butt from the surprise. 

In the school supply section of the clothing store, Peter had picked out a blue backpack—rather plain-looking but apparently, it’s “what’s trending”—and a couple of solid-colored folders. Tony tried to get the kid some Avengers pencils, stickers, or at least an umbrella, but Peter had refused.

“It’s Midtown. And-and I won’t know anyone. I don’t want to single myself out as more than just the new kid.”

Okay, so maybe Tony understood that. But, he still liked what it felt like to encourage the kid to get stuff that looked cool because his dad never did. Howard had never done any of this with Tony. And if Tony was doing what his dad never did, maybe that meant he was alright at this parenting thing.

Clothing seemed to be more difficult than the furniture. Though the kid didn’t cry, he seemed tired and annoyed about having to shop more.

Tony guided Peter over to the wall of jeans and gestured to the rows of them. “Jeans are a must. Hey!” Tony had glanced at Peter, catching him examining some hoodies. “Put that back. That doesn’t fit the Stark look.”

Peter glared at Tony and put the hoodie back on its rack. “Then, what can I get that you’ll _approve_ of?”

“Anything you want!” Tony winked.

Peter looked at Tony like he was stupid.

Tony chuckled. “I’m sorry, kid. You’ve got to have better taste in clothes than just sweats and hoodies.”

“But I like them,” he mumbled. “They make me feel safe.”

“Okay, then, let’s make a deal. We’re getting six button-up shirts, three pairs of jeans, some nice looking joggers and gym wear, and…” He scanned the store. “Ah! Some comical t-shirts. If you agree I will let you get two pairs of sweatpants and one more hoodie.”

Peter seemed to weigh the options, then nodded. They walked over to a rack with numerous men’s button-up shirts and filed through the hangers. Tony thought the Hawaiian prints would probably look good on the kid. There were long-sleeved plain ones, too. Tony grabbed a few others with different designs and hung them on his arm.

“Look good?”

Peter shrugged. “I guess… I just don’t wear clothes like this a lot. I wear, like, vests or t-shirts. Not…” he poked at the row of shirts. “These.”

“Hey, you’ll come to like them. Just be glad you don’t have to wear suits. I have to wear suits in public, everywhere. And I started much younger than you.”

“Maybe we should go get me a Spider-Man backpack after all, so I’m not all grown-up-looking,” Peter chuckled.

“Nope. We are not going there again. I want to get home and rest just as much as you.”

After that, the clothing selection was a little easier. Peter took his time choosing the perfect hoodie and sweatpants, only choosing the softest ones. They turned out to also be rather baggy on him. 

“I like it this way,” Peter said after Tony had commented. 

Lastly, they went by the t-shirts rack. That was the easiest, by far. Not even a second into it, Peter pulled out a few to show Tony.

“Look, they’re science puns!”

Tony scanned them, chuckling while he interpreted them. “This one’s good,” he said, pointing at the shirt that said ‘I wish I was adenine, then I could get paired with U.’ “I need to use that on Pepper.”

“So, are these okay? I know they’re not supposed to be part of your ‘Peter wear’ for me, but they’re really funny!”

Tony sucked in a breath. “Okay, you’re right. But, these are our only exceptions. Let’s get going so we can show Pepper everything.” 

Peter bounced on his feet, smiling wide. “Thanks, Tony.” Peter helped take most of the hangers off Tony’s arm and folded them over his arm, the hangers now dangling towards the floor.

“You got it? Not too heavy?” Tony asked.

“Nope. I’m good.”

Peter led the way to the checkout counter, and Tony trailed behind. The kid was so different. He had a sort of bounce in his step and he looked happy. Like, the kind of happy that he and Pepper had hoped Peter would be when they first adopted him. He was still nervous and unsure of himself quite often, but Tony was glad to see the kid behaving better. Peter had even told him why he freaked out over the Spider-man curtain! And the whole car thing had worked great. Pepper didn’t need to know she had been right about that last part, but Tony could at least tell her that the shopping trip was all he had needed to bond with Peter. Maybe everything would be better from now on.

On the drive home, they talked about their favorite science jokes and puns, making each other laugh and smile. 

_Gosh, the kid’s cute when he smiles._

* * *

Peter gasped in his seat when the car pulled onto their street. “Tony, look! The furniture guys are already here! And Pepper’s back!”

“I see it, kiddo. Let me park and we can tell them where it goes.”

Peter kicked his feet back and forth in the front passenger seat, patiently waiting until the engine cut off. In an instant, he unbuckled and threw himself out of the car. Pepper waved at him from the front porch as she let in some of the men carrying their new furniture.

Peter stopped in front of Pepper and peeked into the house. “Are they going up to my room?”

Pepper nodded and stretched her fingers into his curls, petting gently. “Looks like you got a lot! Find everything you wanted?”

He nodded enthusiastically. “Yeah! We got a bunk bed, and-and a window seat. Oh! The bunk bed has a desk! And posters! We got posters with Spider-Man and even some of the Avengers.” He put a hand to the side of his mouth and leaned in towards Pepper like he was sharing a secret. “Tony made me get an Iron Man one. He said it was ‘essential.’”

Pepper pursed her lips into a smile, her eyes shining near her lashes. Her voice came out thick as she said, “That’s Tony for you. I’m so glad you had a good time. Right? It sounds like you two had fun!”

Tony walked up the porch steps and shoved his hands into his pockets. “It was a real treat to be with the kid. He’s a load of fun.” He smiled smugly. _“You_ missed out, Pep.”

Pepper chuckled and wiped at her eyes. “Oh shucks. Looks like I’ll just have to come with you two when you go out again.”

Peter immediately agreed.

Pepper blinked rapidly and pressed her palms against her hips. “Okay, let's get inside then, shall we? Peter, go upstairs and direct the guys.”

Peter did as she said and met four men in his room, who were already beginning to unbox the furniture. He waved shyly. “Hi.”

One of the men waved back. “You here to tell us where to put everything?”

Peter nodded. “The uh, the window seat, could go, I mean, could you please put it under the window? And the bed against the wall over there,” he pointed opposite his closet. “And I can put the posters and pictures up.”

“It’s a plan,” one of the guys responded. Right away, the unboxing team went to work, setting everything up. Peter taped the posters to his walls. He put the Avengers ones beside his closet entrance. The Spider-Man poster went on his door. He grinned and avoided looking too long at his old suit in the image, then picked up the landscape picture frame.

“I would put it there,” May said. Peter jumped and sent daggers her way, no heat in his eyes.

May shrugged. “Sorry.”

“How do I hang up a picture? Don’t I have to use some tool or-or something?” he whispered.

“You need a stud finder,” she replied.

Peter frowned and slowly turned around. “Uh… do-do you guys have a, uh, stud finder?”

Thankfully, they did and came to assist. In just a few minutes, his picture frame was hung and he took a step towards the middle of the room to take everything in.

“This is so cool,” he whispered. 

Peter left his room in a sprint and bounded down the stairs. He met Tony and Pepper in the living room, interrupting their quiet conversation. 

“They’re just finishing putting everything together,” he announced. “It looks awesome!”

Pepper patted the open seat beside her on the sectional. “I’m happy for you, Peter.” As he took the spot beside her, she wrapped an arm around him and pulled him into her side.

He was stiff at first, unused to the attention. Sure, Tony had guided him around the stores, but this was different. This was like how May had shown affection to him. Peter soaked in Pepper’s warmth, trying to relax. He listened to her talk about her day, noticing May and Morgan were watching from afar. He almost pulled away until May waved.

“It’s okay. Don’t worry about me.”

But he did worry. He kept his eye on her as she looked him over, her smile turning soft.

“You really had a good day?” May asked. Peter nodded. “Thank you for trying so hard. I’m so proud of you. Morgan said you had a hard time at first, but then you got really happy.”

Morgan nodded enthusiastically. “I watched out for him the whole day!”

May ruffled her hair. “I’m glad you did!”

“Peter, honey.”

Peter looked up and met both Tony’s and Pepper’s questioning looks.

“Are you okay?” Pepper asked.

“I’m… I’m okay. I’m kind of happy, and tired. It’s… it’s been awhile.”

Pepper leaned down to kiss his head. “You can nap here until your room is set up. We won’t mind.”

“Yeah,” Tony chirped. “And when you’re less tired, you should show Pepper your new clothes.”

Peter glanced back at Morgan and May, only to notice that they had faded away. He looked back at Pepper. “Thanks… for everything, today and before today.” He met Tony’s gaze to extend the same towards him, then curled further into Pepper and his face in her side.

Today had really turned out much better than Peter thought it was going to be. Maybe this was the point where he could start getting better. Maybe this was the right place for him. Maybe May was right and his good luck was finally coming to him.

Peter let his eyes close slowly as sleep tugged at his consciousness. He felt Pepper rub circles into his arm and kiss him on the head again.

“He was so happy,” Tony said, a few minutes later. “I never thought it would go this well.”

“I told you. He just needs some patience and a lot of encouragement. But this won't… for long… take time… Peter.”

Peter slept for over an hour, cuddling with his adoptive mother.


	5. First day of School and Rain

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter has a rough start to his first day of school. But, it gets better. Then much, much worse.
> 
> WARNING: sensory overload, nightmare, mention of being stabbed and blood, and... Peter crying?
> 
> LMK if I need to add more warnings. :)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woohoo! This chapter was sooo easy to write! I hope you love it, and I’m sorry if it makes you sad again.
> 
> The first part is a nightmare, so beware (it’s actually a memory, so it’d be good to log that into your brains to remember later.)
> 
> Tell me what you think! Every time I read your comments, I get so excited for the next chapter, so it really helps!!

_ “Spider-Man? Spider-Man! Someone, call an ambulance! Spider-Man’s been stabbed!” _

_ Peter’s vision was distorted. He could barely make out the forms that surrounded him. He clawed at the sidewalk with one hand while the other pressed into his stomach. His stomach was so warm and wet. It pulsed with extreme pain. _

_ “Are you calling 911?” The voice closest to him asked. _

_ “Yes, I am.” Responded one farther away. _

_ “Good, tell them it's some kid.” _

_ He furrowed his brows and touched cold fingers to his cheek. Oh, that was right. He had already taken off his mask. _

_ “Why some kid?” _

_ “Spider-Man has a secret identity for a reason. He saved me. I’m not about to let it get out.” _

_ Thank goodness. Thank goodness he saved this man. At least there was something good coming out of this. _

_ Peter whimpered as he strained to sit up. His muscles squeezed and his breath came out in erratic pants. His vision was turning white! _

_ “Hey, Spider-Man, stay down. Those guys are gone. You’re not being chased anymore.” A hand touched his back gently. Peter wished he could be touched like that all the time. How could he have been so stupid? _

_ “Please,” Peter gasped through the pain. “Please help me.” _

_ “Ambulance is on it’s way!” The distant voice shouted. _

_ The hand rubbed his back in small circles. “I know. I am. Just relax. You’re not alone.” _

_ Peter let out a cry as his muscles cramped in his stomach. He curled around himself and tried to look out past the tears. Everything was so muffled all of a sudden. It was blurry and he couldn’t hear anything but his own breathing and his heartbeat. _

_ “Stay awake… Man… awake! Hear me?” _

_ Peter tried to say ‘no,’ to tell him that he just wanted to take a little nap and he would feel better by the time he woke up. His eyes closed and his head lulled back. He heard a few breaths, his heart. Thump… thump.. thump. Then nothing at all. _

* * *

“Help!” Peter sat up like he was a rubber band suddenly being released from its tight stretch. He leaned over his legs and heaved heavy breaths. His eyes were wide and looking around erratically. He could feel cold sweat dripping down his skin.

His ears perked as a car drove by. Some birds chirped and rustled the leaves of the trees. The blender was going off down stairs.

Peter winced as he noticed the fabric of his clothes and his sheets next. It was so heavy and scratchy. He moved the sheets off and grabbed the rungs of the ladder leading down to the floor. Not feeling up to the extra work required for a normal human, he stuck his right hand on the ceiling, moved himself to hang right above the floor, and dropped into a crouch. His bones vibrated and he shivered at the rough sensation.

“Crap, crap, crap!” He hissed and pressed his palms into his ears. The grating noises assaulting his eardrums grew muffled, much like in his dream. That wasn’t a pleasant reminder.

“Peter!” Pepper called from the main floor.

Peter quivered and squeezed his eyes shut. “Not right now. Not right now.  _ Please.”  _ It was no use. He could hear her coming up the stairs.

“Dang it,” he whined. 

Pepper stopped in front of Peter’s door and rapped her knuckles on the door.

_ Tap, tappity, tap.  _

“Peter, can I come in?”

_ Get ahold of yourself, Peter. What did May tell you? How do you deal with a sensory overload? _

He searched his mind as he tried to shove his senses away.

_ Breathe in seven seconds… hold four seconds… exhale eight seconds. Repeat. Be mindful of your body. You’re safe, Peter. You’re in your new house with Tony and Pepper. You’re scared because of a nightmare. It wasn’t really happening. Seven… four… eight. _

Slowly, with a sudden rush of calm overwhelming him, Peter opened his eyes. The light wasn’t too bright anymore, his breathing was slow and steady, and Pepper was suddenly crouching right next to him. 

_ Wait.  _ Peter blinked at her.

“Are you okay?” Her pale hand stretched out as she brushed his curls back. “You weren’t answering, so I came in… Did something happen?”

Peter met her concerned gaze and bit his bottom lip. He hung his head between his knees and sighed. “Nightmare, again. Just got a little freaked out.”

She clicked her tongue and wrapped an arm around his back, scooching in to hug him. “Looks like you did pretty good taking care of it yourself. Did it just barely happen? You don’t have to wait until I wake up—“

“It happened just barely. I know to wake you up if I need to.”

She smiled against his hair as she placed a kiss. “I bet it’s just school anxiety. You start today! You get to take all your cool school stuff and show it off to your new friends!”

Peter chuckled and leaned into her warmth. “Yeah, if I even make any.”

“Not with that attitude, you won’t,” she said with a raised brow. “Be confident. And when you get home, you can tell me all about how it goes.”

“Are you working?” He asked. 

Pepper nodded. “I have to leave soon, just came to wake you up and say goodbye.” She pressed her hands onto her knees and pushed herself up. She sighed. “Get dressed, eat some breakfast, then get going. Okay?”

Peter nodded, avoiding looking into her eyes. He really didn’t feel up to eating this morning. “Bye.”

“Love you. Have a good day!” She smiled, big and lovingly, and closed his door behind her.

Peter released a heavy breath and laid flat on his floor. “Morgan?”

A white light shone above his head and a mop of brown fell around his face. “Peek-a-boo!” Morgan giggled. 

Peter smiled and ‘booped’ her nose, even though neither would feel it. Morgan giggled again.

“Make me want to go to school,” he pleaded.

“If you don’t, I’ll haunt you.”

Peter scoffed. “You wouldn’t remember to by the time you’re born.”

She shrugged. “I might. Maybe I’ll remember it as a teeny tiny baby! Babies are said to be really smart, you know.”

“Too bad you wouldn’t be able to talk, though.”

She grinned. “That’s just better for me, because I could terrorize you, and Mommy and Daddy would think you’re crazy if you told them.”

He chuckled. “Okay, little rascal. When you get here, I’m going to make sure to tickle you every day.” He raised his hands and wiggled his fingers threateningly.

Morgan squealed. “Only if you catch me!” She ran into his closet and giggled amongst his clothes.

Peter took the bait and ran after her.

“Come and get me,” she sang. She walked through his hanging shirts, making them sway from side to side. “Ooh! Wear this one!”

Peter grabbed a red and black, button-up shirt and fitted it against his chest. “We’re going with Spider-Man colors today?”

“Yeah! You’ll feel powerful in them.”

Peter tilted his head to the side, pondering. “Okay, fine. But, you should wear a red dress.”

She squealed. “You want to be twins?” She clapped her hands. “Be right back!” She faded away as Peter changed his shirt, also throwing on a pair of black jeans and socks. 

“Boo!” Morgan appeared behind him once he was fully dressed and she spun in a circle. “You like it? I made it up myself.”

“You look very pretty,” Peter said. “I wish I could just think up an outfit and appear in it.”

She stuck her tongue out teasingly. “You’re just not as lucky as me.”

Peter ran his fingers through his hair and rolled his eyes. “Yeah, I guess you’re right. When you’re born, you’re going to have a big brother to dote on you. You’re  _ very _ lucky.”

Despite expecting an eye roll or another tease, Morgan instead smiled big and wrapped her cold arms around his form. Peter closed his eyes and tried to imagine what a hug from his little sister would feel like.

“I love you,” Morgan whispered.

Peter warmed at her words. “I love you, too.” A beat. “Even if you’re a twerp.”

She threw her head back and laughed. She skipped out of his closet and sent a giggling wave back towards him, then faded away.

_ I’m pretty lucky, too.  _

After gathering his folders, the couple of books that arrived in the mail for school, and his backpack, Peter left his room and hurried down the stairs. His chest was a little lighter and his nerves weren’t so tight anymore.

“Hey, Pete!” Tony called from the kitchen. “I made breakfast!”

_ Oh, yeah. Forgot.  _

Peter pulled on his sneakers and peeked into the kitchen. “I, uh… could I not eat today? I-I mean, just for breakfast? I’m just not hungry this early.”

Tony seemed to frown for a moment, but he sucked in a breath and forced a small smile. “Whatever works for you, Pete. But, are you going to eat the rest of the day?”

Peter swallowed and nodded.

“Okay, then. Sounds good to me.”

“Thanks, er, thank you.” He turned around to start walking towards the door when his spider sense tingled. He quickly whipped around and met Tony’s widened gaze, Tony’s body just feet away.

“Woah there. You okay?”

Peter let out a short pant and nodded. “Sorry, nervous, I guess.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “Did-did you want something else?”

Tony blinked. “Well, you looked like you were leaving.”

Peter tilted his head and furrowed his brows. “Yeah… I have school, remember?”

Tony chuckled. “Of course I do, kiddo. But, Happy isn’t here yet. So, why don’t you hang out for a bit.” Tony moved back into the kitchen and out of Peter’s line of sight.

Peter frowned and glared at the floor. “Why does Harold have to take me?”

“Harold?” Tony made a sound similar to ‘ew.’ “Is there a problem? I thought you liked Happy.”

Peter sighed and adjusted his backpack straps on his shoulders. “I do, but… I can just walk.”

“Not how it works, Pete. It’s not safe.”

Peter exhaled through his nose and stepped back into the kitchen. “If I leave now, I can catch a bus. I mean, how do you know it’s not safe? You said no one even knows about me, yet,” he tried to reason.

Tony looked back at him with a frown, then continued his cooking. “It’s just not how it works.”

“But-“

Tony turned around, his voice suddenly stern. “Peter, not today. It’s too early to argue.” 

Peter frowned, then looked down at his feet. “Yes, sir.” He clenched his jaw and dragged himself back into the living room. He sat down by the front-facing window and tapped his fingertips on the fabric of the sectional, waiting. The clock ticked on the other side of the room, the lights buzzed, and birds started chirping loudly again.

Peter clenched his hands into fists and breathed in his pattern from before. Seven… four… eight.

Harold arrived ten minutes before school was supposed to start. It was a thirty minute drive.

* * *

Midtown High wasn’t nearly as exciting as Peter prepared for. In fact, it was extremely stressful. He was already late when he walked into the main office to pick up his schedule. Then, the principal came out to shake his hand and gave him a massive stack of papers.

“Wha-what is this?”

“Make-up packets. It’ll get you caught up with your new classes.”

Peter sputtered. “But-but I thought passing the tests would mean I was good to go.”

“You qualified to enter the school, but that didn’t make it so the first half of the semester doesn’t count for you. You get the packets done by December 3rd and you’ll keep your scholarship for the next semester.”

Peter frowned. “Whatever. Do you have a map?”

The principal grabbed a sheet of paper off the counter beside him. “Here you go, Mr. Parker.”

“My last name changed—“

“I know. Signed an NDA and everything. No one’s allowed to use it. So, I’m calling you Parker.”

Peter swallowed. “Just Peter, please.”

“Get going to class, you’re already late. Doesn’t look good for a first day, Parker.”

Peter scoffed and clenched his hands into fists to prevent himself from flipping the guy off.  _ “Peter,”  _ he glowered.

Once out of the office, he brought the map to his face.

“What a jerk,” he grumbled. “B117 for English. Where is B hall?” He lifted his head once he found it on the paper, then looked around the commons area. “Ah!” He found the large ‘B’ displayed above one hall and hurried to find his classroom. Peeking through the small window on his classroom’s door, he could see that the teacher was already instructing the class.

_ Should I just skip until next period?  _ He mentally slapped himself.  _ Of course not! You can do this, Peter.  _

He sucked in a breath and pushed the door open.

“...When you finish reading… hello?” The female teacher turned to face Peter. She capped her marker and raised a brow. “Is there something you need?”

Peter swallowed. “I-I’m new here. I’m Peter.”

Her features flashed with recognition. “Oh, right.” She stepped to the side to grab a piece of paper from her desk. “Okay, I have you down. Please take a seat.”

He looked out over the room and noticed everyone was staring. He ducked his head and walked to the back, quickly situating himself in his seat.

“Oh, Peter?” Peter looked up. “Why don’t you introduce yourself to the class?”

He wiped his sweaty hands on his jeans and stood up beside his desk. “I-I’m Peter. I’ve lived in Queens for most of my life, but I now live in Manhattan.” He gripped a corner of his desk and moved to sit down.

“What do you like to do?” His teacher asked. 

Peter straightened. “Um… build stuff and, uh, travel, I guess. Mostly around the city.”

She nodded and gestured for him to sit. “Okay, class. Please welcome Peter to our school if you get the chance to talk to him after class. Now, let's turn to…”

Peter breathed out a tired sigh and leaned into the backrest of his seat. He twirled his pencil and tried to pay attention.

Almost an hour later, the bell rang, signaling class was finished. Peter gathered up all his things and stuck his nose into his map again. 

“Hey, Peter, right?”

Peter turned to his left when the owner of the voice slung an arm over his shoulders. The boy had reddish-brown skin, gelled back black hair, and wore a gray polo shirt with the collar up instead of flat against his shoulders. He raised a brow and looked expectant.

“Oh, uh, yeah. Peter.”

“I’m Flash. What class do you have next?”

“Um… English. You?”

Flash grinned. “Me, too. We can go together.” He dropped his arm back to his side and led the way. “It’s different to have a new kid come in the middle of the semester. Why’d they let you in?”

Peter glanced to the side. “Just lucky, I guess.”

Flash scoffed and glanced back at Peter. “Oh, come on. Don’t be shy. You smart or what?” 

Peter chuckled and nodded. “They gave me a scholarship.”

“Now that’s what I’m talking about! We need someone like you on the team.”

Peter tilted his head to the side. “What team?”

“Decathlon. You can put it on your resume, so it’s really worth it.”

“Oh, I-I’ll have to think about it.”

Flash stopped at the end of B hall and gestured to a classroom. “This is our stop. Come on, sit by me.”

Peter smiled to himself as the two sat side-by-side. 

Flash leaned into Peter’s space and whispered. “By the way, this teacher is hecka old. We can talk in class and he won’t even hear it.”

Said teacher sat at his desk in the front, a newspaper flattened on his desk. He looked to be doing a crossword puzzle. He appeared to be rather wrinkly and frail. Peter wondered how old the teacher really was.

“You said you live in Manhattan,” Flash continued. “Is it an apartment?”

“Oh, no. It’s a house, but I can't remember what street we’re on.”

Flash clapped him on the back. “Yeah, man! A house in Manhattan. Your parents must be loaded!”

Peter nodded and held a small smile.

“Man, we should hang out sometime. My parents are pretty loaded, too. So we could go to my house or yours.”

Peter blinked. “Well, that-that would be great! I mean, fun! I-I’ll just have to ask my parents, though.”

“Me, too. I have an Xbox One and a Nintendo Switch. What are your favorite games?”

“Uh…” Peter looked around nervously. “I-I actually don’t know.” He swallowed. “We-we just moved, so we haven't gotten that stuff out.”

Flash quirked a brow. “Haven’t you played your games before, though? Which ones do you have?”

Peter pursed his lips. “I, um…” He leaned in towards Flash. “I’m adopted.”

Flash’s deep brown eyes popped open wide. “Seriously?”

Peter slumped in his chair and bit his lip.

“Dude, you got adopted by rich people. That, like, never happens!” 

Peter pressed a finger to his mouth and hushed his new friend. “I don’t want everyone to know.”

Flash couldn’t stop grinning. “That’s so cool! What’s it like?”

“Um… it’s okay, but—“

“Class,” their old teacher tapped the board with a ruler. “Settle down, let's get to work.”

“I have to catch up,” Peter whispered. “I’ll talk to you later.” Flash nodded and pulled out his own notebook.

After a couple of minutes, Peter glanced at Flash and smiled to himself.

Pepper was probably going to be really proud of him for making a friend.

* * *

Flash helped Peter find all the rest of his classes for the day. They met up in the commons after each period they didn't have together, and Flash would show him the way. He was actually really cool and smart. and funny. When school ended, Peter waited by the front office for Flash, as had been agreed upon.

“Peter!” A distant voice shouted.

Peter looked into the sea of teens and found a hand waving in the air. Flash hurried over, bringing with him two other friends. “Hey, Flash.”

“What’s up, man? These are two of my pals, Jake and Logan. Guys, this is Peter.”

The two new boys grinned. “Great to meet you, man.” They slapped him on the back and shoulder.

“Nice to meet you guys, too.”

“Hey,” Flash began. “So, do you need a ride? I’ve got a wicked car that we could take.”

“Oh no, but thanks. My parents are coming to get me.”

Flash shrugged. “Alright, suit yourself. See you tomorrow, okay? Meet here?”

Peter waved. “Yeah, I’ll meet you here. See ya!” He watched as his three new friends left the building, then walked out himself to stand on the front steps.

After a while, he started walking the school grounds and lying on the grass. Then, it started to rain a little, so he went back under the thin overhang above the front steps.

Peter shivered, rubbing his long sleeves up and down his arms to create some warmth. The rain picked up and wind blew it into his face.

“Come on,” he whispered to himself. All the students were long gone by now. The parking lot was almost empty.

More time passed. Peter sat down on the cement steps and held his backpack in his lap. He curled behind it for some protection from the rain. As he became more impatient and uncomfortable in the freezing weather, he started to notice just how loud the rain was.

Lightning struck further in the city. Following it was a horrendous ‘boom’ of thunder. Peter winced as icy rain drops attacked his skin and soaked into his clothes. His spider sense started to tingle when his body wouldn’t stop shaking. He closed his eyes to shove away at least one of his aggravated senses.

“Sevvvven, fffour, eeeeeight.” He shivered and tried to steady his breathing.

Rain slipped beneath the collar of his shirt and slipped down his back. His hair was stuck like glue against his forehead. His clothes were wrapped around him, too tight, too wet, and too painful.

Peter winced and peeked out from behind his backpack.

“Please,” he whispered. “Someb-body, somebody please g-get me.”

Peter waited an hour in the rain until Harold finally pulled up.

* * *

The heat was on full blast the whole car ride home. Peter dripped on the backseat, water collecting in the crevice between the back and bottom cushion of the seat. He huddled against the window, his backpack still on his lap, and held onto the door handle to keep himself from jostling much. He had hoped his senses would have calmed down once he got into the car. Instead, they just made him cry.

“I’m so sorry, Peter. I swear, it was a complete accident. It will never happen again, I promise,” Harold said. His eyebrows were knit together in the rearview mirror, checking on Peter often.

Peter shivered roughly. “Why didn’t any-anyone co-ome?”

Harold frowned as he looked straight ahead. Peter watched him shake his head. “I don’t know,” he mumbled so quiet, but Peter heard it. Of course he heard it.

Peter closed his eyes so he wouldn’t have to talk anymore. Harold seemed to get the message.

Eventually, the car stopped on the long driveway. Harold’s door shut, then Peter’s door opened. An umbrella was held over Peter’s side of the car. 

“You’re home, Peter.”

Peter hugged his backpack to his chest, like it was all that was keeping him from flipping out. Harold followed his slow and shaky movements up to the porch. “Thanks,” Peter croaked.

Harold nodded mutely and opened the front door for Peter before following him into the house. 

Pepper and Tony were on the couch, watching TV. Peter’s chin quivered as Harold closed the front door behind them, signaling to his supposed parents that they had made it.

“Boss,” Harold called over the noise of the TV.

Tony and Pepper turned around. Tony reacted first, his brows shooting upward. He quickly stood and faced Peter, half of Tony’s body still hidden in front of the sectional. Pepper gasped, a manicured hand coming up to cover her mouth.

“Peter?”

Peter’s jaw clenched and he stared at the floor as tears mixed in with the water still dripping from his hair. He shook where he stood.

Pepper stood and came around the couch to crouch in front of Peter. “Oh, honey!” She moved to embrace him when Peter ripped himself out of her reach, his back brushing against Harold’s stomach. 

Pepper’s eyes were wide, confusion swirling in her pupils. “Peter, I’m sorry you weren’t picked up on time. Our schedule got mixed up and Happy was with me when you got out of school. We didn’t realize it in time.” She took a step towards him. “You look like you’re freezing! Why don’t we start up the fireplace and you can cuddle with us?”

Peter’s face twisted with anger, and he shoved his backpack into her middle. She caught it, but she stepped back quite a bit from the force. He opened his mouth to say something, staring into her shocked expression. A croak fell out, but he managed no words. He shook his head at her, shoved off his shoes, then ran up the stairs.

“Peter!” Tony called. “Peter, get down here!”

Pepper hurried to the bottom of the staircase just as Peter got to the top. “Peter, talk to us!”

Whipping around angrily, he yelled, “Why’d you even adopt me if you can’t even pick me up from school?”

They were climbing the stairs now, too. “Things just got mixed up—“

“I don't care!” He screamed. “Why does Mr. Hogan pick me up and drive me everywhere? Is he the only one who actually wants me? Huh? Is Harold my actual parent? Is he going to be the only one that takes care of me?”

“Peter—“

Peter grabbed the knob of his door and shoved it open. “I hate you!” He slammed his door behind him and hit his fist against the wall. “Why did you even bring me here?” He hit the wall two more times before he stepped back, panting heavily. He closed his eyes and tried to listen to the voices in the hallway over his breathing.

“Tony, don’t. We need to leave him alone.”

Their feet descended the stairs.

“That…” Harold said quietly. “That was heartbreaking. You need to fix this.”

“Thanks, Happy. We will,” Pepper replied.

Peter shook his head and let out a sob. He closed his eyes tightly, squeezing tears out and onto his cheeks, and pulled at his hair. Slowly, he stumbled to the corner of his room, beside his bed, and huddled there, his soaked and heavy clothes still clinging to his skin. He cried alone, waving away Morgan or May whenever they tried to comfort him. He didn’t leave his spot on the floor for hours.


	6. We Can Be Better

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony and Pepper are wrought with guilt. They want to fix this, be better, and help Peter. Doing so will have to begin with an apology. 
> 
> WARNING: Peter being scared and sad. 
> 
> Thanks again to @hurlinkandwit for being my beta!!!! She’s amazing and writes fanfics that read like poetry! She’s soooo amazing!! Check her out!!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is one of the shorter ones, but chapter 7 is going to be loooong. It’s super important though. It might be a few more days than usual to come out. But it’ll be worth it!

At half past five in the evening, Tony and Pepper set the table for three. Dinner was fettuccine alfredo with sautéed shrimp. As Tony filled the three glasses with water, Pepper left to get Peter.

Tony and Pepper had been rather silent ever since they left Peter in his room. For Tony, it was because he just felt so guilty. The kid had come in with big tears rolling down his cheeks and had looked so betrayed. Not to mention he had literally been soaked to the bone. Happy, who stood behind Peter, had looked like he had kicked a puppy. The Peter puppy. It nearly cracked Tony’s heart in half to see the kid like that. After the fun-filled Saturday they had had, and a somewhat relaxing and peaceful Sunday, Tony was really hoping the kid would start to be happy from now on, or at least comfortable. As it turned out, it looked like Tony and Pepper were still failing him. If only he had double checked the schedule to make absolutely sure that everything would go smoothly on Peter's first day.

Tony sighed and slouched in his seat, pinching the bridge of his nose as an ache throbbed in his head.

A few minutes later, Pepper walked into the kitchen alone. It was obvious why. Still, Tony had to ask.

Pepper shook her head solemnly as she took her seat beside him at the table. “He didn’t say anything, but when I knocked, I think he threw a stuffed animal at the door.”

It would’ve been a bit silly, if not for the current mood of the evening.

“I didn’t even know,” she whispered, her voice thick. “Happy was with me, helping me. I-I just lost track of time, Tony. I  _ never  _ lose track of time.” 

Tony placed his hand over hers and rubbed his thumb over her knuckles. “It’s not your fault.”

“It’s not yours either.”

He frowned. “I think otherwise, but—“

“Then, I do, too!” She snapped. 

Tony huffed. “Fine, it’s both of our faults!  _ Happy?” _

Pepper took her hand away from him and scowled. “No, I’m not. I’m angry and…” She shook her head and gazed at Peter’s plate, gritting her teeth. “And I’m so guilty. I feel like a horrible person!” She flipped her gaze back to him. “So, I don’t need you being mad at me, too.”

Tony inhaled deeply and leaned back in his chair. “You’re right. It’ll just make it worse. I’m sorry.”

Pepper stared down at her own plate as her hand combed through her long, strawberry blonde hair. She shook her head as her chin trembled. Tony tensed and tried to move into her line of sight.

“Pep?”

She blinked a few times as tears gathered. “I… I don’t know how to fix it. I-I feel like all our progress just flushed down the drain! Tony, what do we do now?”

Tony was taken aback by her moment of weakness and vulnerability. He thought of how confident she had been coming into this, specifically deciding to help Peter. Not only had she liked him right away, but Peter had seemed to develop an attachment toward her as well.

“It’s only been a week,” he mumbled. 

“I know that! But, did you hear what he said? He asked why we even adopted him if we weren’t going to go places with him. Happy has taken him everywhere, other than when you took him shopping.”

“He did seem rather upset this morning when I told him Happy would be taking him to school.”

She sniffed and swiped at her cheek. “We have to fix this, Tony. We have to make this right and-and set rules. I don’t know. Maybe it’s time to stop waiting for him to come to us. We need to come to him and talk about this-this crap! And, if he wants to be driven and picked up by us, then why shouldn’t we?”

Tony nodded. “I think you’re right.”

She laughed haggardly. “I thought I was right before! I did—I don't even know right now!” She slid her plate to the side to rest her elbows on the table and bury her face in her hands. 

Tony considered trying to comfort her, then decided against it. After all, he had his own self-reflecting to do.

Dinner finished in its continued solemn tone. Tony and Pepper didn’t discuss anything more, deciding to retire early instead. Tony slowly changed into an old t-shirt and shorts, then buried his legs under the blankets as he pulled out his StarkPad. He wasn’t even in the mood to sleep in his underwear, too ashamed. Pepper seemed to have the same idea, clothing herself in a long nightgown. 

They sat silently beside each other, their dinner conversation playing in their heads. No sound came from Peter’s room. Personally, Tony hoped that the kid had fallen asleep. That’d make one of them. Tony was sure he wouldn’t get a wink tonight. 

“Friday, show me the security feeds of Stark Household,” Tony demanded. 

“Of course,” Friday replied through his StarkPad. The screen lit up with several squares showing separate rooms in the house.

Pepper leaned against Tony’s shoulder, sitting up against the headboard with him. “What are you doing?”

“I want to see how the kid’s doing,” he explained. 

“Oh, Tony. Don’t do that. We shouldn’t mess with his privacy.”

“We need to, Pep. He won’t come out and we need to know he’s okay.” He met her gaze to gauge any further reaction. When she simply nodded, he demanded, “Friday, show me current security feeds of Peter’s room.”

“I apologize, but according to my protocol, ‘Every Individual Deserves Privacy,’ I am unable to show you the current recordings.”

“Override code, safety matters more.”

“Protocol overridden. Showing current recordings of Peter Stark.”

The StarkPad flickered; the several squares molded into one, the date blinking in the top right corner of the screen as the single video played.

Peter was curled up in the corner of his room, rocking himself back and forth. 

Pepper gasped at Tony’s side. “Tony, look! He’s still in his wet clothes!”

“Friday, give me Peter’s temperature.”

“Peter’s temperature is currently 96.8 degrees Fahrenheit. He’s showing symptoms of moderate shivering, distress, and hallucination.”

Tony quirked a brow. “Hallucination?”

“Sound enabled,” Friday said. 

Tony and Pepper leaned in towards the StarkPad to watch their adopted son. 

_ “Leave m-me alone. Please, just go away,” Peter spoke into his hoodie, looking at specific spots in his room.  _

“Friday, this doesn’t prove he’s hallucinating! How do you know he is?” Pepper asked. 

“I don’t have a reason for why. I have simply observed this symptom. In fact, he seems to hallucinate often. He has conversations when he’s alone, he interacts with his body as if there is another individual with him, and calls to them often.”

Pepper and Tony looked at each other worriedly. 

“When did this start?” Tony asked. 

Friday replied, “Since day one, boss.”

“What could it be, Tony?” Pepper hugged his arm tightly. “I’ve never noticed any of this.”

Tony swallowed and scrolled through the feed. Sure enough, as he searched past recordings, Peter was chasing something, talking to someone, and playing with them. It almost looked… 

“Is he haunted?” Tony asked, his eyes widening in horror. “The kid  _ you _ picked out is haunted!”

Pepper barked out a laugh and slapped his arm. “You dork! He’s not haunted!”

Tony laughed and gestured to the screen. “How else would you explain this?”

“I don’t know, make believe? Or friendly ghosts. I don’t know! Besides, we’re getting off track. We’ll just have to bring it up to him another time.”

Tony chuckled. “Okay, you’re right. But maybe we should invest in an exorcist or some crosses. Call a priest?”

Pepper shook her head, though she wore a big smile. “Come on, let’s go take care of our son. But  _ don’t  _ make any jokes about it tonight. I’m sure he has enough to deal with already.”

Tony grinned and set the StarkPad aside, jumping up from the bed. “Okay, okay. I’ll be good.”

“You better be.” Pepper teased, and followed suit. 

* * *

Peter rocked back and forth, shivering within the bundle of his own form. He was wrapped as tightly as he could around himself, trying to conserve as much heat as possible. It was rather useless, especially since he was still in his wet clothes. At least they weren’t dripping anymore, just very, very cold. 

May and Morgan sat beside each other across the room, trying to get him to let them come closer. Every time they tried, he asked them in his small shaky voice to stay away. They couldn’t help but listen. 

“I don’t like it here,” Peter croaked. “Without you and Morgan, I have no one to really love me.” He sniffled and wiped his nose with his sleeve.

“Pepper loves you,” May stated. “She’s really quite fond of you.” 

“I like her ‘cause she’s like you. But… It's only been two days with Tony being happy with me, and I feel like it’s going to blow up in my face any time now.”

He peeked above his sleeves to see May’s soft and worried expression. “They’re not like Ben, honey. They haven’t shown any proof that they’re anything like Ben. You shouldn’t be scared.”

Peter buried his head in his knees. “But, I am.”

He flinched when his door rattled in its frame from a few knocks.

“Peter,” Pepper called. “Can we come in?” Silence. “Please?”

He looked at May and Morgan as they nodded encouragingly.

“Remember,” May began. “You have to try. Nothing will change if you don’t try to participate.”

Peter knew she was right.

In a soft croak, Peter said, “come in,” personally hoping they wouldn’t hear him. Unfortunately, they did.

His white door swung open, giving view to Tony and Pepper who were standing in the hall, smiling nervously.

Tony stepped into the room, making sure to step over Moose. “Hey, Pete. You’re still in your clothes from earlier. Aren’t you cold?” He asked, voice light and cheerful.

Peter shrugged.

Pepper walked in next, filling the space left open between Tony and Peter. She knelt down in front of him and started to peel his tangled limbs apart. “Why don’t we get you into something nice and warm, huh?”

Peter nodded numbly while Tony grabbed a pair of warm pajamas from Peter’s closet. Pepper took them and gave them to Peter. 

“We’re going to watch a show downstairs and drink some hot chocolate. Get dressed, bring a blanket, and I will see you down there, okay?” Pepper instructed. 

“Okay.”

Once Pepper and Tony left, Peter stood slowly. His joints popped and his muscles cramped from being tightly wound for so long. He stripped out of his wet button-up shirt and black jeans, then slipped on a pajama set with each of the Avengers’ personal logos spotting the flannel clothing. 

“Of course Tony would pick that pair for you to wear,” May giggled. 

Peter met her gaze, noticing that Morgan was gone. “I think I annoy him because I don’t like Iron Man,” he said, trying to smile. It fell short, though, and he was stuck feeling empty and heavy. 

May flew to his side and pretended to kiss his cheek. “Go down there and talk to them. You have to try.”

Peter grabbed the large blanket off his bed on the top bunk and bundled it in his arms. “Bye, May.”

“Bye, sweetie.”

Peter walked quietly down the stairs, listening to any noises he could pick up. Which, to say the least, was nice to have to try. His sensory overload had long since been gone. At least crying in his room helped something. 

When he entered the living room, nervous and feeling out of place, Pepper waved him over to the couch. 

“You’re just in time,” she chirped. “The fireplace is going and Tony’s still making our hot chocolate, but I picked out a really cute show.” She patted the seat beside her on the red sectional. 

Peter obediently wrapped himself up in his blanket, like a burrito, then sat beside her. She quickly pulled him in to lean against her side, more warmth spreading around him and making him comfortable. 

“Have you ever heard of the show ‘This is Us?’ It’s really cute. It’s about a big family and their lives.”

“That’s cool.” He turned to look up at her, her eyes flicking to his face. “I made a friend.”

She smiled huge. “Really? I’m so proud of you! I told you you’d be successful! Good job!”

Tony chose that moment to walk in. “What’s ‘good?’”

“Peter said he made a friend!”

Peter felt warmth spread on his cheeks as he hid his face in her side. “It wasn’t that hard,” he said, voice muffled. 

“Great job, kiddo!” Tony cheered. “One person down, only three thousand more to go! You’ll be Mr. Popular in no time.”

As he passed out the cocoa mugs, Peter bit back a small smile. 

Once they were all settled, Tony on Pepper’s left, Peter on her right, they started the first episode. 

Despite Tony and Pepper seeming overly cheerful, Peter could tell they were trying. It kind of made him happy. 

His shivering having finally subsided, he enjoyed the warmth that surrounded him. Maybe May was right today. Tony and Pepper were trying, so was he, and everything seemed to be going pretty well. Peter decided that he really liked TV nights with hot cocoa. 

When the first episode ended, Peter yawned within his blanket burrito, his eyelids drooping heavily. Then the TV arm started whirring mechanically and the wall opened to fit the large TV in its storage spot. Pepper gently shook him somewhat awake. 

“Peter, sweetie, don’t sleep yet.”

He moaned and tried to bury his face in the dark of his cocoon. Pepper laughed and gently lifted his head. 

“Come on, sweetie. We want to talk just for a little bit.”

“Mm… okay,” he slurred. He peeled his eyes open and stared at the couple watching him with various levels of amusement in their expressions. Peter blinked sleepily as Tony stood and moved to kneel in front of him. 

“We’ll make this quick, bud. We just wanted to say that we’re so sorry about how today went. Mistakes were made, but we plan to fix them and do better from now on.”

“We’re going to drive you to school and pick you up from now on,” Pepper explained. “And we’re going to make sure one of us is always available to take care of you as often as possible.”

“Rarely, we’ll both have to go for some meeting or something, but you’ll know about it before we leave.”

Peter nodded and rubbed at his tired eyes. “I like that. But, I also want to be allowed to go out to places without a babysitter.” He covered a yawn with his hand. “So I can go to the park, or if you guys are busy, I can walk to school.”

Pepper frowned. “That’s why you waited all that time? You knew we told you not to go anywhere.”

Peter nodded. “And, I would like a way to contact you. Or for you to contact me. That way you can check on me if you need to.”

Tony nodded, seeming to like the idea. “That is something we’ve neglected to do. It’s probably for the best.”

Pepper agreed. “Alright, if we’re absolutely unable to, you can go to school on your own. But only after we get you a phone. And that goes for going to any place on your own, too. Agreed?”

“Agreed,” Peter nodded once. 

“We’re new at this, Peter. But we truly care about you,” Pepper said, curling Peter’s curls around her fingers. “We want to be the best parents we can be for you, but there’s quite a bit of learning needed from all of us.”

“I love you, kiddo. Really, I do. And I really hope you’ll forgive us for today.”

Peter smiled hesitantly. “I do, forgive you, I mean.” He chuckled. “And, thank you for talking to me. I really liked this.”

Pepper opened her arms and Peter fell into her embrace. “I love you so much, Peter. So, so much. You are such a beautiful boy.”

Peter remembered May saying something like that when she was alive. Pepper seemed like everything he had been needing for such a long time. He was grateful for her and for her love for him. 

“I love you, too.”

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!!!   
> Happy ending to this chapter :D   
> Did you love it? What was your favorite parts? 
> 
> Talking to me really helps my anxiety about writing and helps me want to write!!   
> Thank you to everyone who has commented already! I love you guys!!!


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